Intimidation Tactics
by Pegasus153
Summary: Trying to force Lex into a business deal, an opponant resorts to force. Chloe gets caught in the crossfire, and through the ensuing events, they try to figure out how they feel about each other. Chapter 21 up
1. Default Chapter

Title: Intimidation Tactics  
  
Author: Pegasus153  
  
Rating: PG-13, but I'm still new at this  
  
Category: Action/Adventure/Romance  
  
Spoilers: Season Two, to be on the safe side  
  
Summary: Trying to force Lex into a shady business deal, an opponent resorts to scare tactics. Chloe gets caught in the crossfire, and through the ensuing events, Chloe and Lex try to figure out what they feel about each other.  
  
Disclaimer: Obviously, the characters are not mine, just borrowing them  
  
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so feedback would be great. Any suggestions are welcome  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
" So tell me again why you're interviewing Lex?" Lana asked Chloe as she handed her a latte.  
  
Chloe smiled. "Well, other then the fact that any reporter would jump at the chance to interview a Luthor, I thought that it would fit nicely into the paper since Lexcorp has donated equipment to the science lab after it burned!"  
  
Lana smiled. "That's the only reason?"  
  
Chloe looked up from her coffee and smiled. "Of course. Why?"  
  
Lana shrugged. "No reason. Just curious. Ooh, just a sec." Lana trailed off as she grabbed a coffeepot, and headed out to refill a customer mug.  
  
Chloe watched her from the counter, and frowned. Chloe thought that she had hid her burgeoning crush on Lex pretty well, but Lana was digging a lot closer to the truth then Chloe was comfortable with. So what if Lex was unfathomable rich, had a certain arrogant self-assurance that could be a little charming at times, and whose looks were starting to grow on Chloe. Whether because some part of her was growing up, or maybe seeing Lex more often due to Clark's friendship, Chloe was finding herself attracted to the playboy billionaire, and not really sure what to do about it.  
  
It wasn't as if it was a normal crush on some high school jock. This was Lex. Not only was he, like, six years older, but he was rich with a bad reputation, maybe somewhat misleading, but still, to every rumor there is a grain of truth! Chloe sighed. Nope. It wasn't normal. No way she could giggle, and girl talk with Lana about Lex the way that Lana did about Clark.  
  
"Boy, you look deep in thought!" Lana said, smiling as she returned to the counter.  
  
Chloe glanced up, coming out of her reverie. "Oh, just trying to plan questions for the paper."  
  
Lana nodded. "Well, I'm sure that you'll do fine!"  
  
~*~  
  
"If you will walk this way. Mr. Luthor is in his office." The butler gestured the way for Chloe to walk.  
  
She was a little bit late for the meeting. She felt ridiculous for the reason, but she hadn't been able to decide what to wear. Chloe shook her head. It wasn't like Lex would even notice her clothes, let alone allow her appearance to influence the course of the interview. But Chloe had still spent more time then normal on her clothing, finally settling on an ankle length black skirt with a discreet slit up the side, and a crisp collared blouse. She'd worn the blouse as a concession to professionalism, and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons as a concession to her crush.  
  
She reached the door to Lex's office and paused. She could hear raised voices and briefly weighed the value of giving Lex a minute, and the curiosity of overhearing something if she just went in. After all, the butler had said to go ahead. She pushed the door open and entered.  
  
Lex was sitting at his desk with his back to Chloe, playing with a pencil. He flipped it around his fingers with such force that it flipped out of his hand, and flew across the room. He dropped his fist to the arm of his chair.  
  
"The answer is still no." Lex said, his voice low and firm. There was no trace in his voice, of the tension that Chloe could see in his body language. "You will regret your decision, if you choose to go through with this." He paused. "No. That is not an issue. It will never be an issue, Winston. This conversation is finished." He paused again as he was obviously interrupted. Chloe saw his shoulders hunch forward, and Lex's voice drop to a menacing low. "Is that a threat?" He asked very quietly. Chloe shivered, making a mental note never to be on the receiving end of that particular tone of voice.  
  
"Good-bye Winston." Lex said clearly, and then swiveled in his chair to drop the phone in the cradle. There was an infinitesimal pause as he noted that Chloe was already in the room, and he had no way of knowing how long she'd been there for. "Chloe." He said, his voice warmed, and the corner of his mouth quirked a little. Not a full-blown smile, but as close as Chloe ever expected to get.  
  
"The butler told me to come in." She said, still feeling a little nervous after hearing Lex's conversation. He was never so threatening when she met him at the Talon, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that maybe Lex was more dangerous then her rose-colored crush had allowed her to believe.  
  
"Have a seat." Lex said, gesturing to a chair. "Can I get you anything? Coke, water, coffee?"  
  
"Water, actually, would be good." Chloe said, as she took her seat.  
  
Lex got her a glass of water, before sitting down across from her. "So, Miss Sullivan." He said. "I do believe we have an interview to get though."  
  
Chloe nodded, dug out her notebook, and a pencil. She pushed thoughts of being nervous out of her head, took a sip of water, and looked Lex in the eyes. "Yes, well basics first. The donation of lab equipment was both timely and generous, as the lab is now better equipped then it was before the fire. What prompted you, and by extension Lexcorp to make such a generous contribution?"  
  
Lex smiled to himself, without letting much of it show. Chloe Sullivan intrigued him in the most enjoyable ways. It was rare for Lex to meet a woman who wasn't interested in his money, and wasn't scared of him or his power. He had sensed something when he had first hung up the phone. Maybe anxiety, maybe just nerves, but she had covered well, plunging in with a journalistic passion. She didn't beg forgiveness for overhearing his conversation, offering a reasonable explanation, but not an excuse. She had a poise that was alluring in that it said very clearly, hands off. He watched as she smoothly crossed her legs as she waited for his answer, and felt his mouth go dry. Her skirt was slit, halfway up her thigh, and her legs were mouth watering. Realizing, suddenly that his thoughts were getting out of hand, he quickly formulated his answer.  
  
Chloe dutifully wrote down the high points of his answer to refer to later, and then looked him in the eye. "It is this journalist's understanding that Lexcorp holds academic excellence in high esteem. What other contributions have been made in support of furthering education?"  
  
Lex opened his mouth to speak, when his office door was slammed open. Chloe jumped as the noise smashed in the fairly quiet room. Fully in control, Lex turned his head to see what the disturbance was. A heavy set man with a toque over his head barged into the room. Two more men, dressed in black, and also with masks over their faces, were right behind, both holding automatic weapons.  
  
Lex stood, the primary emotion playing across his face being disgust. "If Winston thinks that physically badgering me will get him any further." The ominous threat was cut off as the heavy set man crossed the room in three strides, and cold cocked Lex with the butt of his gun.  
  
Chloe jumped to her feet as she watched Lex crumple to the ground. She heard someone screaming and realized that it was her. She moved around her chair, and then behind the desk, warily watching the three men. The obvious ringleader bent to check Lex's pulse, while the other two converged on Chloe, coming around both sides of the desk. Feeling adrenaline pumping into her system, Chloe grabbed a paperweight off of Lex's desk to fight back with.  
  
"Whatcha gonna do with that girlie?" One of the men asked.  
  
Suddenly, rushing the rude invader, she clubbed him upside the head with all her might before running for the door. She made it almost three steps before the third man stood up, and pointed his gun at her.  
  
"One more step and I'll shoot you down."  
  
Chloe skidded to a halt.  
  
"Drop the paper weight" The leader said. It slipped nervelessly out of Chloe's hand, and landed with a thud.  
  
"Heartless bitch!" The man who Chloe had hit was clinging to the side of his head. There was blood on his hand. "Just shoot her Mac!"  
  
The leader gave his companion a withering look, before advancing on Chloe. "You picked the wrong time to come a calling on Mr. Luthor. You should pick your boyfriends more carefully next time."  
  
"He's not my..." Chloe got out, before the Leader smashed the butt of his gun into her skull. Chloe heard herself cry out, as the ground rushed up to meet her.  
  
~*~*~ A/N: First fic, first idea... if the story is good, I'll keep going... so please let me know! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all the feedback. I'm glad this is so well received. Here's the next bit. Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chloe groaned as she rushed back into consciousness. Immediately wishing she'd stayed unconscious, she slowly raised her hand to feel her skull. There was a large bump that was sensitive to the touch, but no blood, which Chloe took to be a good sign. She struggled to sit up in the dark, and was overwhelmed with nausea. She put her head back down again.  
  
"Nauseous?" A voice asked.  
  
She turned her head and squinted through the gloom. Relief lodged a lump in her throat as she recognized a familiar bald head. She wasn't alone. She was still with Lex! He'd know what was going on. He had to fix it!  
  
"Stay lying down." He continued. "You probably have a concussion."  
  
"Who were they? What's going on?" She asked, using what she hoped was an impartial reporter's tone.  
  
Lex smiled to himself in the dark. This was why he liked this girl. The bravado, the logic, the incessant curiosity...  
  
"I have no idea." Lex answered.  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. A useless gesture considering Lex couldn't see it, but it made her feel a little more like herself. "C'mon Lex. You expect me to believe that someone broke into your house, knocked you and me unconscious, and hauled us to some unknown location, and you don't have a single clue why?"  
  
"As to our location." Lex said, deftly avoiding answering her outright. "I believe we're still at the mansion. I'm fairly certain we're in one of the wine cellars."  
  
"One of the..." Chloe spluttered. "How many wine cellars do you need?"  
  
"Well, I only use one." Lex said.  
  
Chloe could hear the smile in his voice, but found herself oddly disheartened. It was comforting to hear Lex sounding like himself, but the need for comfort was simply a harsh reminder of the situation Chloe found herself in.  
  
Deciding to be pro-active, rather then waiting for the intruders to return, Chloe propped herself up a little ways off the ground. When the nausea didn't return, Chloe forced herself to sit up fully. She looked around the room she was sitting in.  
  
She could see the racks for wine, and realized that they were in fact, still in the mansion. There was a set of steps leading upwards, and a dim light was filtering under the door. She peered in the opposite direction. The wine racks disappeared into the dark.  
  
"How big is this place?" Chloe asked.  
  
"I don't know." Lex said, looking for himself at the expanse of empty wine racks.  
  
"You know, you've been saying that a lot!" Chloe pointed out, exasperated.  
  
"Saying what?"  
  
"I don't know." She quoted. "You're *the* Lex Luthor." She said sarcastically. "I'm supposed to believe you're clueless?"  
  
He smiled. "Well, in this case it's the truth. If you'll recall, I wasn't given much of an opportunity to quiz the intruders as to their motives."  
  
Chloe felt her heart thump as Lex's words brought back, vividly, the image of him being knocked unconscious. That was not something she ever wanted to see again.  
  
Suddenly feeling very vulnerable, Chloe crawled across the space between Lex and herself. He smiled.  
  
"Lonely?" He asked, teasing a little.  
  
Chloe shrugged. "Got tired of talking to someone I couldn't see!" She looked around. "Do you suppose that there is a way out?"  
  
"I imagine that our captors have taken any means of escape into account." He pointed out.  
  
"Well, I'm going to try and see." Chloe said, getting to her feet. "Are you coming?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "I think I'll wait here." He said with faint chagrin.  
  
Chloe noticed for the first time that while she was free to roam around, the intruders had handcuffed Lex to a wine rack.  
  
Chloe hesitated, reluctant to leave Lex alone, but the temptation of escape was too tantalizing. Especially seeing as the intruders had made the mistake of not restraining her as well.  
  
"I'll be right back. I promise." Then Chloe turned and walked into the darkness.  
  
She felt her spirits sag a little, the further she walked from the light, and Lex. She felt like she was betraying him by leaving him there. Chloe turned and looked back. There was a faint crack of light, but she couldn't see anything. She was about to turn back to the relative safety at Lex's side, when she noticed another light a little further back.  
  
Moving off of the main walkway in the cellar, she noted that there was an old wooden door, similar to a traditional storm cellar entrance. She pushed against it, and tumbled forward when it gave suddenly. She winced as light nearly blinded her dark adjusted eyes.  
  
She allowed her eyes to adjust and peered upwards. There were steps, and she could see trees beyond. She realized an old storm cellar must have been incorporated into the wine cellar at some point in time.  
  
Elated that her search for escape was successful, Chloe stood hesitating. She was free to go. She could find help; the police, anybody, and the whole ordeal would be over. On the other hand, Lex was still sitting in the wine cellar, with no way of escape open to him. Chloe mulled her options over. Then turned, and walked back into the darkness of the cellar. After all, she had promised Lex she'd come back.  
  
Lex heard the crash as Chloe fell through the cellar door. Frustrated because he couldn't help her if she was in trouble, and nervous that the noise would draw attention, Lex worked his wrists in the handcuffs, trying to free himself.  
  
There was a click at the door, and Lex paused in his efforts with the handcuffs. The door swung open, and the larger man stepped in. He shone a flashlight in Lex's face, chuckling when Lex turned away.  
  
The other two men followed him in, and approached the spot where they had dumped Chloe.  
  
"Hey! Where the hell is the girl?" One demanded. He turned abruptly, and advanced on Lex. The larger man held him back.  
  
"No need for violence... yet." He said. "Search the cellar. She's obviously in here somewhere."  
  
The two men took different sides of the cellar, and began to look for Chloe  
  
It was Lex's turn to smile. "To what do I owe this pleasant visit?" He asked. Considering the other two men insignificant in the general scheme of things, Lex focused on the leader. Still in an amiable tone he continued, "You are aware that when this is over and I find you, and I will... you will sorely regret this venture."  
  
"Mr. Luthor, you are *not* in control of this situation!" The man spat the words out. Angry because Lex refused to be intimidated, he lashed out with the back of his hand.  
  
Lex took the hit with no more then a sharp exhaling of breath and looked back at the man. He showed no signs of anger other then the smoldering rage in his eyes. "Temper, temper." He said evenly. "Now, do you want to tell me what you're doing in my mansion?"  
  
Before he could get an answer, the other two men were back.  
  
"She's gone!" One of them gasped. "There was a cellar door we missed." He glared at his fellow henchman. "It's your fault. You're the one that said she'd be out for hours."  
  
"Enough." Snapped the leader. "Search the grounds. Find her!"  
  
Lex smiled widely. "Trouble?" He asked, knowing that he was inciting more anger, but hoping to keep them occupied with him for as long as possible, as long as Chloe got away.  
  
"You know where she's gone!" One of the henchmen snarled at Lex. "Where the hell is she?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"I'll show you *don't know*!" He grabbed Lex's arms and uncuffed them. Grabbing on of his hands, the henchman laid it flat on the concrete, and unholstered his gun. "Are you sure you don't know where she is?" He demanded, leveling the barrel at Lex's hand.  
  
"Quite sure." Lex managed, while inside he was desperately trying to formulate a plan that got him out of the situation with all his body parts intact.  
  
Chloe was hiding behind the wine racks, watching in desperation as the same man she had hit, leveled a gun at Lex's hand. She knew she was caught now. She could never let them shoot Lex.  
  
The henchman cocked the gun, and in a last ditch effort to save Lex and stay free, Chloe shoved against the wine racks with all her might. It tipped slowly, and then slammed into the next rack, and then the next, falling like dominos, towards the men. The last rack in the domino effect was the rack right beside the one that Lex was cuffed to. It crashed into the ground and splintered.  
  
Shocked and angry that Chloe was still in the mansion, and not safely on her way to the police, Lex yelled, "Chloe if you're in here, run!"  
  
Chloe did just that. Anything to take the henchman's attention off of shooting Lex.  
  
Immediately both men were after Chloe. She dodged in and out, of the wine racks, trying to make her way back to the cellar door before they caught her. Suddenly, an arm grabbed her waist from behind.  
  
"You're done now!" He growled hoarsely in her ear, and he carried her back to the main door, kicking and clawing.  
  
The henchman dropped Chloe on the ground beside Lex. The leader motioned with one hand and the other henchman moved in with a set of handcuffs. Chloe whipped her foot around, and caught the henchman in the leg. The leader whipped out his gun, and pointed it at Lex.  
  
"I should explain the situation miss." He said. "I'll won't kill him, but he sure as hell won't be so handsome when I'm done."  
  
Chloe stopped kicking, and glanced at Lex with fear in her eyes.  
  
The henchman grabbed her wrist, and slapped a cuff onto it. He pulled Chloe over to the wall, and threaded the other cuff through some pipe. The leader dragged Lex over to the wall, and the second bracelet was slapped around Lex's wrist.  
  
"You like him, you got him!" Was the leaders smart remark. "I'll be back." He added, and he walked up the stairs, and slammed the door. Darkness enveloped them again.  
  
"Can't wait." Chloe muttered.  
  
"Chloe." Lex's tone of voice was so gentle after the previous circumstances, that Chloe was startled.  
  
"What?" she demanded.  
  
"Why didn't you go for help?" Lex asked.  
  
Chloe looked down glanced at the door and then the ground. She didn't answer.  
  
Lex reached out and brushed his hand against her face. Her skin was so soft, he almost groaned. Chloe jumped at his touch, but didn't pull away. Lex tilted her chin up, so he could see her face in the dim light of the cellar.  
  
"Why'd you come back?"  
  
"I promised."  
  
TBC. ~*~*~  
  
A/N: Feedback is addictive! But any comments on how the story is progressing would be nice. Like/no like? 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Glad to hear everyone is enjoying it. Little more action in this one. I'm upping the rating, as a precaution, due to where this story will probably end up. :)  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lex smiled at Chloe's answer. "Well, I'm glad you came back." He said. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, before letting his hand drop. Chloe sighed a little at the loss of contact, a fact that was not lost on Lex.  
  
"Now what?" Chloe asked. "While I know that some women might leap at the chance to be handcuffed to Lex Luthor, I am not one... so how do we get out of this mess?"  
  
"In the long term, find out who wants me out of the running for awhile, and take him out first." Lex said. "In the short term, we might want to find a way to get away from the wall."  
  
Chloe nodded agreement, and turned her attention to the pipe that they were attached to. It was sunk into the ground and went about half way up the wall, to a joint that directed the pipe into the wall. Chloe studied the joint where the pipe turned.  
  
"This pipe looks pretty old." She said. "I bet I could pull it out!" Standing in an attempt to see better, Chloe pulled Lex's arm along with her. "Oops, sorry." She grinned. "Guess I'm not used to handcuffs!"  
  
"Mmm." Lex said. "Are implying that I am?"  
  
Chloe blinked, cleared her throat and turned her attention to the pipe, trying to keep her mind from playing out all the scenarios that may have resulted in Lex having experience with handcuffs.  
  
The pipe was indeed old and unused. There were flakes of rust around the joint where water may have, at one point leaked out. Chloe shook the pipe, and bits of rust flakes fell away. She grabbed it with both hands, and yanked on the pipe. It rattled but didn't budge.  
  
"Will you stand up?" She demanded of Lex. "I need more leverage." She shook her wrist, and pulled on Lex's arm.  
  
Lex obligingly got to his feet, and observed what Chloe was trying to do. With his free arm, he grabbed the pipe, and jerked on it. It was shaky, and Lex was surprised to see that they still had a fighting chance of breaking free.  
  
"In unison." Chloe said. "On three."  
  
Chloe grabbed the pipe with both hands, and Lex held on with his cuffed hand, finding no room for both arms to reach the pipe.  
  
"Okay, one...two...three..." They jerked the pipe, and it scraped away from the joint. Elated that she was managing a second escape, Chloe lifted her wrist and found that while the pipe was free from the joint, there wasn't enough space to get the handcuff chain through.  
  
"Do you think we can bend it?" Chloe asked, eyeing the pipe dubiously.  
  
Lex smiled. "I'm sure I can manage this."  
  
Chloe looked at him. "All by your macho self?" she demanded.  
  
Lex met her gaze and allowed his lips to curl a little. "Just watch me." Managing to suppress a grin, and telling himself his actions were solely in the spirit of escape, he put his other arm around Chloe, effectively encircling her in his arms. His eyes closed momentarily, as he absorbed the feel of her body against his.  
  
"Lex, what're you doing?" Chloe asked, embarrassed to hear her voice emerge a little higher then normal. Not that she wasn't reveling in the feel of Lex's arms around her, but she didn't want him to know that.  
  
"Leverage." Was Lex's answer, before he took a good hold on the pipe, and pulled with all his strength. He widened the gap momentarily, long enough for the chain to slip through the gap, before Lex lost his grip on the pipe. His momentum threw him backward, dragging Chloe with him.  
  
It happened so fast that Chloe barely had time to gasp before she found herself lying on her back, on top of Lex, in a dark room, with his arm around her. She didn't speak. She felt her body warm at the contact of his chest against her back, his legs against hers. His arm around her waist seemed hot, and she couldn't formulate a decent scathing remark, so she kept quiet.  
  
Underneath Chloe, Lex smiled. It hadn't gone as planned, but on the whole, Lex wasn't altogether unhappy with the results. He lay under her, enjoying the feel of her on top of him, trying not to let his mind wander to X-rated thoughts, as he waited for her to make the first move.  
  
Chloe cleared her throat. "Well, uh, good job." She managed. "Now what."  
  
Lex was intrigued to note that Chloe hadn't made a move to get off of him. "Well, I'd say we could try the cellar door." He paused. "You'll have to get off me first." He pointed out.  
  
Realizing that she had obviously been lying there too long, Chloe scrambled to get up. Lex's hands on her waist pushed her to her feet. Chloe brushed real and imaginary dust off of her clothes as Lex got up. She studiously avoided eye contact, which made Lex smile before leading the way back into the darkness.  
  
They reached the cellar door, and Lex was surprised to find that it hadn't been boarded up. Suspicious of anything that was too easy, Lex motioned for Chloe to keep her head down, as he ventured up the steps.  
  
The light was fading, and Lex could see that the sun was almost down. He peered over the edge of the depression that held the stairs, and stopped. He had made one slight miscalculation, and it looked to be a fairly significant one.  
  
Chloe, who had not waited until Lex sounded the all clear, poked her head out beside his and gasped. The sight of the sun setting over the ocean was both beautiful and frightening.  
  
"Where are we?" Whispered Chloe. She had been expecting to the see the somewhat familiar grounds of the Luthor estate, not the ocean and a sprawling vineyard marching along beside it.  
  
Opposite the vineyards, was an enormous mansion that rivaled Luthor Manor. The lights were burning in one of the bottom windows but otherwise the entire building was dark.  
  
"I wonder if we won't find our answers there." Lex said, motioning towards the single lit window.  
  
"You're not seriously going in there?" Chloe demanded. "We need to find the police!"  
  
Lex regarded her calmly. "Yes..." His tone, as it trailed off, did not sound like the police were his first priority.  
  
Chloe caught the tone of voice. "Listen! Since I'm *handcuffed* to you, I have a say, and *I* sure don't want to go in there!"  
  
"What happened to the intrepid reporter we all know and love?" Lex asked sarcastically.  
  
"She got kidnapped!" Chloe responded sharply.  
  
Lex just regarded her with a small smile for her caustic answer while he tried to formulate his next move.  
  
His next move was preempted by shouting in the cellar. Chloe jumped as she heard the men yelling. Lex grabbed her hand, to avert hurting her with the cuffs as he dragged her along, and made for the relative cover of the vineyards, about a hundred yards off.  
  
Chloe hiked up her skirt to enable her to run faster, and kept pace with Lex all the way to the vineyard. They ducked behind a bush, and crouched down, watching the opening to the cellar.  
  
One head and then two popped up. Chloe figured by their body types that they were the henchmen and not the leader. One of the men, headed back down into the cellar and the other started sweeping the grounds with a flashlight.  
  
"I guess my little fact finding mission will wait for later." Lex muttered, as he quietly moved deeper into the vineyard, pulling Chloe with him.  
  
Lex kept a close watch on their tail, as he led them deeper into the vineyard. He knew he was at a disadvantage, not knowing the lay of the land, but he was bound and determined not to be caught again. At least until he got Chloe to safety. He decided to cut over towards the ocean, simply because it afforded more light to see by, as the vines wouldn't obscure what little sun was still left.  
  
Chloe followed Lex without question, feeling far too out of her depth to make any judgement call other then to get away from the intruders. The one question nagging her mind was their location. They had obviously been unconscious for longer then she thought because the men had had occasion to move them at the very least 1500 miles away.  
  
"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!" Chloe muttered to herself.  
  
Lex glanced back at Chloe. She looked a little strained but was holding up. She was a remarkable girl, and he wondered why he hadn't invested more time in getting to know her.  
  
"I'll get you back to Kansas yet." He said with a half smile.  
  
"You better." She responded, surprising herself with her complete faith in him. "Where do you think we are though?" She asked.  
  
"West Coast. I'd say probably Oregon."  
  
Chloe was surprised. "How do you know? I figured that was a rhetorical question for the time being."  
  
Lex smiled, realizing she was more out of it then she knew, if her detail oriented reporting skills hadn't been applied to the situation. "As far as the West Coast goes..." He trailed off and pointed at the now sinking sun. "As for Oregon. It's not as warm as it would be in California, the vegetation suggests that it's regularly this cool, and the last time I had a background check done, I turned up coastal property owned by one of Winston's subsidiaries."  
  
Chloe looked up at the mention of Winston. "He was the man you were talking with on the phone." She pointed out.  
  
Lex glanced at her. "I thought you'd been there long enough to over hear something. I'm just surprised you haven't quizzed me sooner."  
  
"I was a little busy." Chloe pointed out. "Anyway, if you think it's him, how do you suppose he got his goons there so fast after you hung up?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "I assume he had every intention of badgering me to start with. The phone call was likely meant as an intimidation tactic."  
  
"Oh. What do you suppose they were planning if we hadn't gotten away?" Chloe asked.  
  
"What makes you think we're away yet?" Lex asked, deftly steering the conversation away from business deals. Chloe noticed, but chose not to push the issue.  
  
"Well, I don't see anyone behind us... do you?" She asked.  
  
Lex shook his head, but the mention of a tail made him wary again. He stopped, and crouched down, pulled Chloe onto the ground beside him.  
  
"What?" Chloe whispered, suddenly feeling panicked.  
  
"Just a feeling." Lex whispered back, before pressing a finger to Chloe's lips to stop her for asking another question. He allowed his thumb to trace her bottom lip, before pulling his hand away, and focusing on the ground that lay behind them.  
  
Chloe's lip felt heated, and she pressed her hand to her mouth, enjoying the sensation. She felt awkward, and on uneasy ground with Lex at times. He could seem cold and calculating on minute and then warm and charming the next. And then he'd do something like touching her lips, and the look in his eyes would just about take Chloe's breath away, before his eyes would change to 'normal', and she would wonder if she hadn't imagined it.  
  
After some time went by, and the sun had fully set, Lex pulled Chloe to her feet again. He leaned down and put his mouth next to her ear.  
  
"I think they're out there, but they've turned their flashlights off." Lex breathed into Chloe's ear. She shivered wonderfully, and felt Lex's mouth curve in a smile against her ear. "We're going to move. Be quiet, and stay close." Lex turned, and began working his way through the vines and trellises, closer to the ocean, and further away from the unknown assailants.  
  
TBC... 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter's a little longer then the other ones. What can I say? When you're on a roll, you gotta write!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
They reached the last row of trellises, separating them from an uninhibited view of the ocean. Chloe paused, and peeked through the vines as the moon was slowly coming into view. The silver light streaked across the water. The sight was beautiful, and the beauty acted like a salve on Chloe's tangled emotions. She sighed.  
  
Lex watched, amused as Chloe halted and stared out at the water. She had never struck him as the kind of person totally effected by romantic things and here she was sighing at the moon. He tugged on her hand. "We need to keep moving." He said quietly. "You can come back to the ocean some other time, okay? Hell, I'll bring you, but we need to move now!"  
  
Chloe nodded, and followed close behind, as Lex started off parallel to the trellises, but not stepping out into the open. They walked quietly for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably only ten minutes, before the began approaching a fence and what looked the back end of the property.  
  
Lex stopped at the edge of the vineyards, observing the fence. It was more like the walls of a fortress. About ten feet high and made solidly of brick, with what looked like a high voltage wire running around the top of it. Lex could make out two cameras from the shadows, but they looked to be facing outwards.  
  
"How are we supposed to get over *that*?" Chloe demanded quietly.  
  
Lex shook his head. "Give me a minute." He walked out into the open, with Chloe reluctantly following. He approached the wall, and then walked along it to where it dipped sharply, and headed down a steep hill, almost a cliff, towards the ocean. Lex glanced at Chloe speculatively as he formulated a plan.  
  
"What?" Chloe demanded, watching his mind work, and not wanting to be left out of the decision making process.  
  
"We don't go over it. We go around." He said, gesturing to the ocean.  
  
Chloe looked out over the water. The ten foot wall dropped all the way to the foot of the cliff, and went out into the water, where it gradually shrank in size until it disappeared into the water about a hundred yards out.  
  
"I dunno, Lex." Chloe said. "That's kind of a long ways out. And we're handcuffed, and I know I've never tried swimming with one arm attached to someone else."  
  
Lex was about to answer when a voice from behind them said, "You're not going anywhere!"  
  
Chloe felt the cold metal of a gun muzzle against her ear. For a second she thought her heart had stopped, but before she could even formulate a plan, Lex whipped around with his free arm, and hit the man in the head with a branch that Chloe hadn't even seen him pick up.  
  
The man dropped to his knees, groaning, but still conscious. Lex stepped over him, and to Chloe's dismay, hit the man in the back of the head. Lex was raising his arm again, when Chloe grabbed his wrist to stop him.  
  
"Lex, you knocked him out." She said quietly. "Please don't kill him. Not in front of me!"  
  
Lex looked over at her, and was pained to see fear creeping into her eyes. He dropped the branch. "Chloe, he held a gun to your head, what did you expect me to do? At the very least, he would have knocked you out again." She wouldn't meet his eyes, so Lex caught her chin, and forced her to look up at him. His face was cool, but not unkind. He strove to drive his point home. "I won't let them hurt you, okay?"  
  
She nodded, and tried to smile. Warmth finally filtered back into Lex's eyes and he smiled. Then he dropped to one knee, and began searching the man for his weapons.  
  
Chloe stood, watching Lex go through the man's clothing with systematic efficiency. Her lingering fear gave way but she was still left with a feeling like a hollow pit in her stomach. Somehow she knew that if she hadn't been there, Lex would not have stopped at two blows. She struggled to reconcile this coldly unemotional Lex, with the brash but subtly teasing character that was Clark's friend.  
  
Lex took the 9mm gun out of the unconscious man's hand, and a spare clip from his coat pocket. He tucked the gun into the back of his pants and put the spare clip in his pocket. He stood up and looked around cautiously before speaking.  
  
"No cuff keys." Lex said quietly. "We can use the gun when we're further away, okay?"  
  
Chloe nodded. "So we *are* going to try and swim?" She asked.  
  
Lex nodded, and stepped over the edge of the hill, and started down. Gallantly, he offered his arm at the very steep places, and Chloe was thrown for a loop again. Lex was back to being chivalrous.  
  
Careful not to pull her with him, Lex hopped over a log that was blocking their way and landed on uneven dirt a couple of feet below. He turned and before Chloe could object, had caught her by the waist, and lifted her down. He smiled at her bemused look, and kept going.  
  
Halfway down the hill, Chloe had stopped wondering about the many moods of Lex Luthor, and was simply relieved that Lex was being so chivalrous. She cursed herself for her vanity, every time her foot turned in the strappy sandals she had chosen to go with her outfit. By the time they reached the bottom, Lex was supporting almost all of Chloe's weight, as she had rolled her ankle and couldn't walk without pain. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they made it the last couple of feet.  
  
"How are you holding up?" He asked, as they sat down on the sand near the bottom of the hill to rest.  
  
Chloe ran her hand over her ankle. "I think it's okay. It's just strained, not sprained."  
  
Recognizing an opportunity when he saw one, Lex reached down, and ran his hand over her ankle as well. It was swollen but she was right, it wasn't sprained. Nothing immersion in cold salt water wouldn't cure he thought, eyeing the ocean.  
  
Chloe tried to focus on the situation at hand while Lex ran his hand over her ankle. She knew he was just making sure that she was all right to continue, but she couldn't help but let her mind wander to what it would be like for him run his hands up higher, skimming over her flesh, raising her skirt inch by inch...  
  
Her reverie was broken, when he dropped his hands and stood. Chloe glanced up at Lex as he looked out to sea. She rolled her eyes, thinking that her thoughts were a little inappropriate considering who she was with and the situation she was in.  
  
Lex caught the eye roll and smiled. "What?"  
  
"What?" Chloe repeated, looking up. She realized he wanted to know what she'd been thinking, and blushed. Thanking her lucky stars it was too dark for Lex to see, she just shook her head. "Nothing. Are we going?"  
  
Lex nodded and caught her hands, pulling her to her feet, before wrapping his arm around her again and heading for the water.  
  
As they crossed the empty sand between the shelter of the hill and the ocean, Lex kept a close watch on the top of the hill. He hoped that he'd see anyone if they stood on the edge, but the wall, and the vineyard provided a dark backdrop. He didn't think anyone was up on the hill, but he couldn't be sure.  
  
Chloe stopped when they reached the waves, the water gently lapping at her toes before receding.  
  
"So, seriously, how are we going to manage this?" Chloe asked.  
  
Lex looked at the wall as it went marching into the sea. "Well, to be honest. I'm hoping that it isn't all that deep all the way out there, and that we won't have to swim very far."  
  
Chloe nodded. "That's a nice hope. What if it's deep, three feet out?"  
  
Lex smiled at her pragmatism. "I'll tow you." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, we can't both swim. It won't work. We could blast the handcuffs with the gun, but that would ruin the element of surprise and I would like to get out of this mess without being shot at. So, since I'm stronger, I'll tow you, and swim with one arm."  
  
Chloe was a little piqued that Lex assumed she couldn't tow him. She protested. "I could tow *you*, y'know." She pointed out. "I'm a strong swimmer."  
  
Lex gave her a look like he thought she was crazy. "Maybe, but I'm a lot bigger then you and you've hurt your ankle, which may have an effect on how well you kick. Plus to be completely honest," He said with a smile. "I don't think you'd make it." He pointed to the wall. "All the way out, and all the way back the other side." He shook his head. "I'll do the swimming. You just relax."  
  
As Chloe was trying to form a decent argument for not being treated like a helpless woman, Lex stooped, and untying his shoes, handed them to Chloe.  
  
"Hang on to these." He said. "I'll need them on the other side."  
  
"You know, I have a mind to drop them out where it's deep."  
  
Lex smiled, as he began to walk into the water. "I had no idea you had such a mean streak!"  
  
Chloe opened her mouth to make a scathing remark when the water hit her up to her knees. Gasping at the temperature, she stopped and shuddered.  
  
Lex looked her over his shoulder at her. Deliberately provoking he said, "Wimping out on me already Sullivan?"  
  
She glared at him. "I'm adjusting to the water, okay?" She pointed at his legs. "*You've* got pants on, and *I'm* not even wearing socks! It's just a little bit cold is all."  
  
Lex kept gently easing her deeper as she spoke. The water rose to her knees, deepening to her thighs with each incoming wave. When they were almost waist deep, a rolling wave broke over their heads effectively soaking them both, and preempting Chloe's desire to ease into the water.  
  
Chloe stood shivering, as she tried to convince herself to further immerse herself in the freezing water. She took a step to walk forward, and bumped Lex who hadn't moved. She glanced up at him.  
  
The heat in his gaze curled Chloe's toes and warmed her from the inside out. She suddenly figured it was good that he was standing in freezing cold water. She followed his gaze down to her chest, where her nipples were poking through the now soaking wet fabric of her shirt. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, Chloe crossed her arms. An action that pulled Lex's handcuffed wrist closer to her breasts than she was comfortable with. She uncrossed her arms, and waved a hand in front of Lex's face.  
  
Lex slowly pulled his gaze away and made eye contact with Chloe. Smiling at the confusion that he saw there, he said, "Well, you're all wet now, we can just plunge right in."  
  
"What?" Chloe said, not sure if Lex meant any double meanings or not.  
  
"We can swim." He clarified, trying to keep his smile to himself. "It looks like it's getting a lot deeper."  
  
Nodding, and trying to ignore the sexual pull she was feeling, Chloe took a couple more steps into the ocean.  
  
Lex was right. The bottom abruptly dropped out from beneath them. One minute Chloe was chest deep, and the next she went under because her feet couldn't touch the ground.  
  
Lex pulled her above the surface, and back to where she could touch. "Okay, now we swim." Lex turned her, so that her back was to him, his handcuffed arm coming under her free arm and settling across her chest. He pulled her back against him, and then kicked off the ground, floating, with Chloe above him. He began to kick out sideways, using his arm to pull them forward.  
  
Chloe remembered not to drop Lex's shoes, as he spun her around, and wrapped his arm across her chest. The sensation of being completely dependant on Lex was a strange one, as her position didn't leave her much option of doing anything but hanging limp, while Lex swam and kept her head above the water. Accepting that Lex had probably been right, and she couldn't have towed him without drowning them both, Chloe hung limp and offered as little resistance as possible.  
  
Lex stroked powerfully out into the waves, bearing a little ways from the wall to avoid being slammed into it. As Lex swam, Chloe began to relax and her eyes began to droop, partly because it felt good to have Lex's arm around her again, but mostly because the cold, cold water was beginning to take effect.  
  
Lex noticed Chloe's eyes drooping, and realized that there was another variable that he hadn't really accounted for. Chloe was much lighter then he was, and she was dressed in much less. Not that he didn't appreciate the feel of the thin fabric under his hand, but he could see that it wouldn't take much more for Chloe to start drifting towards hypothermia.  
  
"Chloe, open your eyes." Lex said, and he continued to swim out to clear the wall. "You need to stay awake, all right?"  
  
Chloe opened her eyes, and watched as the moonlight rippled across the waves. "I'm okay Lex." She said, through chattering teeth. "Thanks for caring." She was about to say more, when she noticed two figures on the beach.  
  
Her heart pounding, she whispered, "Lex, look!"  
  
"I see them. Keep quiet. We're almost clear of the wall. We'll be out of sight soon."  
  
Chloe shut her mouth, and watched in fear, as they made their way around the wall at an agonizingly slow pace.  
  
They cleared the wall without any shouts of recognition. Chloe hoped they had made their escape undiscovered, because it sure was an ordeal getting away.  
  
Lex breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way around to the far side of the wall. He could see that there was another mansion on this side. He assumed that they were simply adjoining properties. There weren't any lights on, and Lex took that to be a good sign. No need for the neighbors to go calling the bad guys...  
  
Lex was getting tired as he continued to swim towards the shore. Just when he was about to go beyond exhausted, his feet touched the sand, and he groaned as he stood on firm ground and let the arm he'd been swimming with relax.  
  
"We made it!" He said; feeling a great deal of pride for the task he'd just accomplished. "You still got my shoes?" He asked.  
  
When Chloe didn't answer, he tipped her head back. Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale white. Her arms were hugging his shoes, but she looked like she was frozen in place.  
  
"Chloe!" Suddenly feeling a sensation that he was unfamiliar with, Lex realized he was deeply afraid for Chloe.  
  
Riding the waves in, and swimming, Lex made it to the beach in a time span two minutes ago he had thought himself incapable of.  
  
He pulled Chloe up on the sand, and all the way to the shelter of the hill, still aware, that they were being hunted. He lay Chloe down, and felt her skin.  
  
She was like ice. He put his ear against her mouth, and could hear the faintest sounds of air escaping. Relief made Lex weak, before her pulled himself together. Scooping Chloe up into his arms, he made his way up the cliff, towards the mansion he had seen on their side of the brick wall.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: How am I doin'? Story flows okay? Characterization is good? I know the handcuff schtick is a little over used, but it's so fun, I couldn't resist! More feedback, more! It's so addictive! Heh heh. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm gonna assume that the gun will still work even after being submerged in salt water, so go with me on that, eh?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Lex?" Chloe's voice was almost inaudible.  
  
Stumbling in surprise, and eternally grateful that she wasn't as far gone as he thought she was, Lex carefully set her down, about halfway up the cliff.  
  
"Chloe, are you there?" Lex asked, as her eyes had drifted shut again. "Chloe?" Resisting the urge to shake her, he reached out and ran the back of his hand across her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open.  
  
"C'mon. Stay with me. We're not out of this yet. I need your acerbic comments to drive me on." Lex said.  
  
Chloe managed a weak smile. Slowly, forcing the words to come out audible, Chloe said, "Wimp. Can't even carry a girl up a cliff..." She trailed off, speaking being too much effort.  
  
Pleased that Chloe was still coherent enough to form a come-back, Lex scooped her up, and continued to the top of the hill.  
  
Reaching the top, Lex halted, and moved cautiously, still being aware that he was only a wall away from their assailants, and that the cameras on the wall had been pointed this way.  
  
Chloe moaned softly, as Lex made his way across the beautifully landscaped back yard. She seemed to be getting worse. Whenever her eyes did open, they were glazed and she didn't focus before shutting them again. Lex realized he needed to get her warm, and quickly.  
  
He reached the back door. It was massive, made of wood, and no amount of determination was going to get Lex through. He turned, and moved along the side of the house, hoping for a window or a patio door that he could smash.  
  
Luck was on his side, as he quickly found what he was looking for; a ground level window that appeared to lead to a guest bedroom of some sort. Lex smashed the glass with the butt of the gun, and flipped the latch. Praying that the home was solely equipped with silent alarms, and would only alert the police and not the unfriendly neighbors across the fence, Lex shoved the window open. It was wide enough for one person at a time.  
  
"Chloe you have to stand on your own, okay?" Lex said.  
  
She opened her eyes, and nodded. Then he gently lowered her through the window. She leaned against the wall inside, her arm hanging out, still attached to Lex.  
  
Lex followed, and closed the window after him, hoping that if the kidnappers had followed, they wouldn't look to closely at the window.  
  
Lex could feel the temperature rise a few degrees, just by getting out of a slight breeze he hadn't even noticed.  
  
Not wanting the kidnappers to have an inkling as to their location, Lex picked Chloe up again, and carried her further into the mansion.  
  
Across the hall from the guest bedroom, Lex found a sort of den with no windows. He shut the door, and flipped on the light.  
  
Chloe was pale, and had closed her eyes again. Setting Chloe down on the only couch in the room, and fearing the worst, Lex put his ear to her mouth again. Her breath was still coming, albeit slowly and quietly.  
  
Lex moved quickly. Hoping that pillows would muffle enough of the gunshot not to alert the kidnappers, he pulled their wrists apart, and shot a bullet through the handcuff chain. Lex was free to move around.  
  
Switching the light off, Lex crept back over to the bedroom, and yanked the blankets he found off of the bed.  
  
Back in the den, Lex sat Chloe up. Chloe's eyes opened momentarily before her head tipped over onto Lex's shoulder.  
  
Lex wasted no time in peeling the still wet and freezing cold shirt off and tossing it away. Fear for Chloe's life kept Lex's mind on the situation at hand, but only just. He unzipped the zipper at her hip, and slid the soaking wet skirt off as well. Lex paused then, staring at the sexy black underwear he was faced with.  
  
Under different circumstances, Lex had no doubt what his course of action would be, but with Chloe in the state she was in, delirious at best, Lex was surprisingly unsure. Finally, he just wrapped the comforter around her, and pulled her wet hair away from her neck.  
  
Feeling that he'd done all her could for her at that moment, Lex stood and stripped his wet clothes off. Not having a problem with removing his own underwear, but realizing Chloe might prefer him clothed when she was lucid, he wrapped a lighter blanket he'd found around his waist and sat back down  
  
He rubbed her arms and legs vigorously, to encourage circulation. Chloe's eyes drifted open again. She looked at Lex through slightly glazed eyes, and forced her tongue to form words.  
  
"Did you undress me?" She asked, so quietly that Lex had to lean in to hear.  
  
He nodded. Chloe managed a slight smile then, but slowly closed her eyes again.  
  
Not likely her drifting in and out like she was, Lex pet her face gently to wake her up, fearing that any sudden changes, like him shaking her or dumping her in a tub of hot water, might kill her.  
  
She opened her eyes again. Lex smiled. "You need to keep your eyes open, Chloe. Do you understand me?"  
  
She managed a slight nod. "I'm fine, really." She whispered.  
  
Lex shook his head. "You're not even shivering, you're so far gone." He smiled at her bravado. Did she ever stop? "Listen, I think we need to get to a hospital. Hopefully there's a car we can, uh, borrow. Do you think you can move?"  
  
"Of course." Chloe answered, but made no move to get up on her own. Lex stood, and scooped her up into his arms again. He flipped the lights out, before moving into the hallway. Barefoot, and wrapped only in a blanket, Lex was still warmer then he had been dressed in wet clothes. However, he was aware of the spectacle he would make should he show up in an emergency room dressed as he was.  
  
Despite the situation, he still gave a thought to appearances. He began poking his head into doors that looked promising as bedrooms, hoping that the inhabitants of the house would have left some clothes.  
  
They had worked their way around to what Lex hoped was close to the center of the building when he lucked out. They had found a wide marble staircase, and having set Chloe down at the bottom, Lex had run up the stairs, to see if he could find something useful. Like a map of their location, car keys, or clothes.  
  
Off the to right of the stairs, Lex found the master bedroom. He returned to Chloe and carried her up. There he found everything but the map. 'Borrowing' a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt from the walk in closet, Lex found a warm flannel nightgown for Chloe.  
  
He had set her on the bed. When he walked out of the closet, he saw that she had curled into a ball, so Lex pulled her onto her feet, and was about to help her pull the flannel over her head when she stopped him.  
  
"Wait." She said, as she tried to reach behind her to unhook her bra. Hypothermia had chilled her muscles and retarded her motor skills. Still too cold to care, she turned her back to Lex, and motioned for him to undo it.  
  
Lex deftly unhooked her bra, and pushed it over her shoulders, as Chloe pulled it all the way off. Resisting the urge to turn her around, Lex pulled the nightgown over her head. She bent, and pulled her panties off, kicking them away.  
  
Wondering what the owners of the mansion would say when they returned to find clothing littering their home; Lex went back to the closet to see if he couldn't find some warm slippers for Chloe. He found that and better.  
  
He found the slippers, and turned to leave the closet when he noticed a leather driving jacket hanging on a hook. It was emblazoned with the rearing Ferrari stallion. Smiling, and pushing his luck, Lex felt through the pockets of the jacket.  
  
His fingers closed over keys, and he pulled them out. There was a set of three keys, one of which was obviously the ignition key to a Ferrari.  
  
Smiling to himself, because he'd even managed to escape a kidnapping with class, Lex returned to Chloe with the slippers.  
  
Her eyes were closing again. At her name, Chloe opened her eyes. Lex was dangling keys in front of her.  
  
"We're out of here." He put the slippers on her feet, before lifting her again, and heading back downstairs.  
  
"Lex!" Chloe said, as he made his way down the stairs. "Lex, stop being a chauvinist. I can walk!" Her voice was a little louder, but her eyes still looked unfocused.  
  
"I'm sure you can." Lex agreed, but made no move to put her down. "But I would like to get out of here as quickly as possible, and to be honest, I really don't think you're that much better." He smiled as he made eye contact. "Just better enough to be a smart alec."  
  
Recognizing truth when she heard it, Chloe resigned herself to being carried everywhere for the time being. She wrapped an arm around Lex's neck, and rested her head against his shoulder.  
  
Lex wandered through the unfamiliar mansion, seeking a way to the garage. For all that getting Chloe into dry clothes had helped, Lex knew she should be in a hospital.  
  
He periodically had to rest. Setting Chloe on her feet, and leaning her against the wall. He knew that under normal circumstances he should have been able to handle her weight, so he attributed his weakness to the cold water immersion. And if he was still feeling the effects, he knew Chloe would be feeling it more.  
  
Not knowing how far a hospital was, and how long it would take to get there, Lex felt a sense of urgency to get under way as soon as possible. But the garage, and the Ferrari whose keys he had, eluded him.  
  
It was Chloe who finally found it. Lex had been going from window to window, looking out and trying to see anything resembling car storage, when Chloe pointed slowly at the green house.  
  
"What?" Lex asked, not sure if she was lucid or delirious.  
  
"Look at all the cameras." Chloe pointed out. "Who'd want to wire up a bunch of flowers for security? I don't think it's actually a greenhouse. And there are ruts in the grass leading from the driveway to the front of it." She paused. "I bet that's where the car is."  
  
Lex wasn't so sure. He sure as hell didn't keep *his* Ferrari in the green house, but the tracks and the cameras did seem to warrant some investigation.  
  
"You stay here." Lex said, easing Chloe down by the window they were looking out of. "If it is the car, then I'll come back and get you."  
  
"No." Chloe said, not having the energy for eloquent arguments. "Don't leave me. What if they catch me?"  
  
Lex didn't have to ask who 'they' were. "That's more likely to happen outside!" Lex pointed out.  
  
"Please don't leave me." Chloe implored.  
  
The desire to protect her swept over Lex. He was surprised that he was reacting to the damsel-in-distress situation like, well like Clark... but he couldn't leave her.  
  
"Fine. You can come." He said, smiling at his own almost petulant tone. "You better be right about this!" He said.  
  
A few rooms down, they found a family room, complete with patio doors, and a deck outside. Lex held the door for Chloe, before shutting it so as not to give their exit point away.  
  
The slight breeze outside the mansion, was enough to re-chill Chloe. She waited, hugging herself against the cold, for Lex to shut the door. She craved his body heat like an addict.  
  
He picked her up again, and she wrapped both arms around his neck, and snuggled into him.  
  
"Miss me?" He asked, somewhat amused with her behavior.  
  
"Just cold." She said against his neck. He smiled, and then grew somber as he glanced around the open grounds, and didn't see anyone.  
  
Just because he couldn't see them didn't mean they weren't out there, but there wasn't a lot that he could do about it beyond that. He walked across the grass between the mansion and the green house as casually as possible, hoping that if he looked like he belonged there, then maybe they wouldn't shoot him if they saw him.  
  
They reached the greenhouse unharmed, and Lex breathed a sigh of relief as they sunk into the shadows beside it.  
  
Peering into the glass panes of the greenhouse, Lex was surprised to see that Chloe had been right. The glass building had thrown him. But he now saw that it was a fancy showroom.  
  
A bright red Ferrari Testarossa was parked on a slightly raised platform in the middle. There were a couple of potted geraniums sitting on the windowsill, which had just further enhanced the image of a greenhouse.  
  
Relieved that they had finally found the car, Lex quickly found the door, and discovered that one of the keys on the key chain opened it up. Lex turned the dead bolt, and pulled the door open.  
  
The show room was not equipped with a silent alarm.  
  
An alarm that sounded like it was alerting the neighborhood to a nuclear threat went off, blaring into the night. Wanting to avoid a conflict with Chloe in the state she was in, Lex hurried to get Chloe into the passenger's seat and buckled up, before rushing around to the driver's side.  
  
Giving stealth up for lost; he revved the car up and gunned it down the slight incline of the platform, and out the pane glass side. As the car burst through the showroom walls in a shower of glass shards, Lex mentally promised to replace it. The car and the glass.  
  
Roaring down the driveway, Lex felt around the car for the remote that had to be there. An automatic gate came standard with a mansion like that, Lex figured, as he fumbled to find the remote that opened it.  
  
He found it in the ashtray. He faced forward, aiming it at the gate as they approached. The gates swung open, and Lex hesitated before pulling onto the road. He saw a car approaching from the kidnapper's side, and it was moving fast.  
  
Not wanting to wait around and see if it actually was the kidnappers, Lex pulled onto the road headed in the other direction. Hoping that he wasn't driving into a dead end, Lex floored the gas pedal, leaping away, and soon lost the car behind them.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: Should I wrap this up soon? Get them back to Smallville in a couple of chapters? Or should Lex and Chloe figure out who wanted Lex kidnapped? Your call... 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: As long as no one is getting tired of this, it'll go on till they solve it. :) This chapter doesn't really deal with the kidnapping, but it's just chlexy goodness. Enjoy.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Chloe rolled over and bumped her nose into cold metal. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was staring at the safety bar of a hospital bed.  
  
She sat bolt upright and looked around. For a brief instant, she couldn't remember what had transpired to result in her being in a hospital. Then it all came flooding back. The kidnapping, the escape, the freezing cold water, the Ferrari, and then she couldn't remember anything else. Except Lex. She looked around, wondering where he'd gotten to.  
  
He was sitting in a chair beside her bed. His hand rested on the covers, and his head dropped to his chest. Chloe smiled at the vulnerable image he made, sleeping peacefully.  
  
"Lex, wake up." She whispered. "Lex..."  
  
Lex jerked his head up, and scanned the room with cold assessing eyes. Then his scan met Chloe's gaze, and his mouth quirked.  
  
"Good to see you're awake." He said. "If you're better, I think we should get out of here. We've been here too long, and I really don't want to go through all of this again should they catch up with us."  
  
"I'm really fine!" Chloe said, throwing back the covers, and swinging her legs around to the edge of the bed. She hadn't realized that they were still on the run. She couldn't remember anything that had happened after Lex buckled her into the Ferrari, but obviously he hadn't resolved the situation.  
  
"Clothes?" Chloe asked, looking around. She remembered that Lex had taken her wet clothes off, but she couldn't remember what else she'd put on.  
  
Lex held up the flannel nightgown. Chloe raised her eyebrows in disbelief.  
  
"That's the best you could come up with?" She demanded. "We were in a mansion. They had to be as rich as you, and that's the only clothes you could find for me to wear?" Lex watched in amusement as the Chloe Sullivan he knew emerged. "You're not much of a burglar! That's for sure." She continued.  
  
"I did make off with a Ferrari." Lex reminded her. "Anyways, I picked up a sweatshirt at the hospital gift shop. You can throw that on over top until we find you some decent clothes."  
  
"You left me?" Chloe asked, pausing as he held up the sweatshirt.  
  
Lex nodded slowly, realizing that she was still nervous about the situation, and trying to make the best of it. "Just to get the shirt. C'mon, get dressed. We need to get moving."  
  
Chloe took the offered clothes and pausing, looking expectantly at Lex.  
  
"What?" Lex asked, intentionally not picking up the cues.  
  
Chloe motioned with her finger for Lex to turn around. He did, smiling at the wall, as he listened to the rustle of fabric as she pulled the hospital gown off, and pulled the nightgown and the sweatshirt on. He couldn't help but be reminded that she wore nothing under the nightgown. With Chloe out of immediate mortal danger, Lex found it more difficult to concentrate solely on saving her life.  
  
Chloe cleared her throat and Lex turned to face her again.  
  
"All ready?" He asked.  
  
"Shoes?" Chloe said the question as more of a statement, and she scanned the floor looking for footwear.  
  
Lex motioned with his chin towards the slippers lying in the corner.  
  
"Oh, you have to be kidding!" Chloe muttered. The slippers were obviously well used, old, dull pink, and ugly. Chloe shook her head. "I'll go barefoot. You'll just have to buy me a new pair of shoes." She put her hands on her hips, daring Lex to make her wear the ugly slippers.  
  
Lex smiled at her attitude and shrugged. "Okay, then let's go before the nurse comes back and starts asking too many questions."  
  
"You mean you didn't explain what happened?" Chloe demanded, incredulous. "You didn't call the police? They didn't recognize you?"  
  
Lex smiled. "As much as I appreciate your faith in my widespread power, Lexcorp doesn't have any interests on the Western Seaboard, and Luthorcorp only a few in California. So suffice to say, I am mostly anonymous, and it doesn't look good for two people to go to the police when they are driving a stolen car, are poorly dressed, and one is dying of hypothermia."  
  
"I was dying?" Chloe asked, her voice raising an octave.  
  
"Exaggeration!" Lex said quickly, putting her mind at rest, and deciding not to tell her until later just how close it was. "The point is, I don't think that they would believe our story. And even if they had heard of Lex Luthor, it is more likely they would have heard stories of my, uh, less then charming youth, and that would not endear us any more with the authorities."  
  
Chloe sighed. "So what are we going to do?" She asked.  
  
"For now, we need to get away from the hospital. We've been here all night, and I don't think it would take a brain surgeon to figure out that this is where we went."  
  
Chloe nodded. "Okay, lead the way Lex."  
  
They stepped out into the hall, headed towards the elevators. Deftly avoiding the nurses, they pressed the down button, hoping to be free of the hospital without trying to explain the situation to the nurses.  
  
They reached the main floor without being stopped by anybody. They were walking past the gift store when Chloe stopped.  
  
"What?" Lex said, impatient to be on their way.  
  
"You need a disguise." Chloe said simply.  
  
Lex looked at her like she was crazy.  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well obviously hiding is *not* in the Luthor's lexicon, but I don't want to get caught and to be honest, all someone needs to do if keep a sharp look out for a bald guy with a blonde girl in tow."  
  
"And how do you propose we fix the situation?" Lex asked, realizing that she was right, and that hiding wasn't something he was inclined to do. For her sake, however, he would make an exception.  
  
Chloe held up a toque. "You've already got the jeans and ratty sweatshirt. All you need is a toque to round off your punk look."  
  
Resigned, Lex nodded, threw some cash down on the counter, pulled the toque over his head, and struck a pose.  
  
She smiled widely. "Perfect! You look like this kid in my biology class." She paused. "Where did you get the money from? Did you steal it?"  
  
"If I promise I'll pay it back, will you promise not to think less of me?" Lex said with a smirk. Then he grabbed her hand, and hauled her out of the building.  
  
The sun was shining, and Chloe tipped her head back as she absorbed the warm rays. Lex pulled her along, as they walked away from the hospital, across the parking lot, and then down the street.  
  
The hospital for whatever town they were in was nestled right in a nice residential area. The sidewalks were clean, and Chloe found she wasn't too uncomfortable in bare feet. But it still wasn't a picnic.  
  
"How come we can't just drive back to Smallville?" She asked petulantly, as she stepped on a small stone and winced.  
  
"Because I don't have enough money on me to hire a limo or rent a car, and a stolen Ferrari is a little more of a statement that I wish to make." Lex said.  
  
"You have enough money on you for shoes and a pair of pants?" Chloe asked.  
  
Lex nodded. "I think I can manage that. We just have to find the Main Street. All these quaint little seaside towns explode with shops. We'll find you some clothes and you'll fit right in."  
  
It didn't take long for them to find what they were looking for. The main street was right along the beach. All they had to do was follow the sound of the waves. They stepped into the first clothing store they saw.  
  
It was obviously a tourist's paradise, and Chloe was about to walk out again when Lex caught her elbow. "If I have to wear a toque to be in disguise," he said, "You can dress like a tourist."  
  
Chloe glared at him, but allowed herself to be dragged over to a rack of clothing. Lex rummaged around, and came up with a form fitting pair of Capri pants. They were green with little brown and green palm trees on them.  
  
Chloe was about to point out that there were no palm trees in Oregon, when a sales girl walked up beside them.  
  
"Hi!" She said in an overly cheerful voice. "Can I help you with anything?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Well, my friend here needs some clothes..." He trailed off and motioned towards Chloe. She was still wearing the nightgown. The sales girl smiled knowingly at Lex. He winked.  
  
Chloe stood rooted in shock. Not only was Lex alluding to an entirely different event that lead to her needing clothes, but he winked! Up to that point, had someone told Chloe that Lex Luthor was capable of pulling off a saucy, sexy wink she would have laughed, but now she was surprised enough to find herself ushered into the dressing room by the sales girl, holding the Capri pants, and a halter top.  
  
Seeing the halter top, Chloe rolled her eyes and poked her head over the top of the change stall. Lex was standing, flirting with the sales girl. The girl put her hand on Lex's arm as she laughed at a joke. Chloe shook her head. "In your dreams, Luthor." She called, as she tossed the halter over the top, and hit him squarely in the head.  
  
The sales girl pulled away from Lex. He looked up and shook his head at Chloe, then handed the shirt back to the sales girl with a shrug.  
  
Chloe looked at the Capri pants. They were kinda cute, and had it been anyone other the Lex she was shopping with, she would have bought them. But she felt exposed and transparent with Lex at times, and she didn't see how a form fitting pair of pants was going to improve the situation.  
  
"What are you doing in there?" Lex asked impatiently.  
  
Making up her mind not to let Lex intimidate her, she pulled the nightgown off and put the Capri pants and the hospital sweatshirt on. She stepped out of the change stall. "Well?" She asked.  
  
Lex's eyes narrowed a little, assessing her. He motioned silently with his finger for her to turn around. Slowly Chloe turned around, feeling stupid and very exposed. She came back around and faced Lex. His blue eyes were stormy, and his lips were quirked in a come-hither sort of smirk.  
  
The sales girl spoke up, to Chloe's relief, ruining the mood. "Oh, those are cute pants!" She cooed. "If I had your butt, I'd get them too!"  
  
Chloe instinctively covered her rear with her hands. She looked from Lex to the shop girl, and back. "Maybe she should help me pick out another shirt." She suggested.  
  
Lex nodded, getting the hint, and letting her off the hook. With another unnerving wink, he headed towards the front of the store.  
  
The shop girl smiled. "Your boyfriend?" She asked, as she lead the way to some of the shirts she thought would look good.  
  
"Did he say that?" Chloe demanded.  
  
The girl looked surprised and shook her head. "No, I just guessed from the way he looks at you."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure he looks at all woman that way." The shop girl looked speculatively over to where Lex was standing. Irritated, Chloe cleared her throat. "The shirts?"  
  
Suppressing a grin, the girl nodded, and handed a couple to Chloe to try on.  
  
Chloe pulled on a simple tee shirt. It was cheap, it was blue and best of all it covered a little of her rear. Lex could make her buy the Capri's but he didn't get to see what was in them. She stepped out of the stall.  
  
The girl looked surprised. "You want that one?" She asked. "I mean, it wouldn't take much more to push him over the edge honey!"  
  
Chloe held up her hands to stop the girl from saying more. She was about to explain the situation, when the shop girl's eyes fell onto the unusual bracelet on Chloe's wrist.  
  
She caught Chloe's arm, and looked at the handcuff. "Does this have anything to do with you needing new clothes?" She asked innocently. The smirk in her eyes was not innocent.  
  
Chloe pulled her wrist away. Fed up with the girl's insistence on pairing Lex and her together, she made something up on the spot. "Actually, is all the rage over on the East Coast. It's just picking up here. Very chic, the fad will be here soon. You should get in on it, before it's over."  
  
"Huh?" The girl said. "On the East Coast you say? That's where you're from?"  
  
Chloe nodded, and jerked her thumb towards Lex. "He's rich. Wanted to come here. What do you say? No?" She shrugged, like she couldn't fathom the male mind, which she couldn't. She had had enough of the shop girl's insinuations though.  
  
"Lex?" She called. "Can you pay? Let's get out of here."  
  
He walked over and glanced down at her feet. "No shoes?" He asked.  
  
Chloe made a frustrated sound in her throat. She grabbed a pair of flip- flops from the nearest display and handed them to Lex. He smiled, dutifully paid for everything and turned to go.  
  
He put a hand to Chloe's back to usher her out of the store. The motion pulled Lex's sleeve back a bit, and the shop girl noticed the matching bracelet.  
  
"All the rage huh?" She asked, with a suggestive smirk.  
  
"Ugh!" Chloe groaned, and then hurried out of the store.  
  
Once they were out on the street, Chloe began feeling a little better. She had to admit that the idea of dressing unusually made her feel safer. She glanced over her shoulder at Lex. He did not look like the Lex Luthor she knew. Anyone that saw him would think punk, not tycoon.  
  
She shortened her pace to match Lex's, falling in beside him. They walked without speaking down the street. Enjoying the nice day, looking at the shops, and keeping their eyes peeled for kidnappers with guns.  
  
They were approaching a restaurant, and Chloe's stomach suddenly growled loudly. She realized it had been close to two days since she'd eaten. She turned to ask Lex if they had enough money for food, when she noticed that he'd dropped back behind her again.  
  
She glanced over her shoulder, and realized why. "Hey!" She said sharply, turning so that Lex couldn't scope her out anymore. "Will you stop that!"  
  
"I did pay for them." He reasoned.  
  
"But not what's in them!" She pointed out, and then realized how that could be taken. "Not that that's an option!" She said quickly. "Look can we eat!" She changed the subject.  
  
Lex nodded, and made a studious effort to stay beside her all the way to the restaurant, where he held the door open in a chivalrous manner, and let her go first...  
  
TBC... 


	7. Chapter 7

Chloe settled into a booth opposite Lex. As the waitress rambled on about specials, Chloe glanced out the window and around the restaurant. She had felt more secure walking around outside, then she did in the restaurant. Inside, she felt trapped.  
  
When the waitress left them, Lex turned his attention back to Chloe and saw her glancing out the window and over her shoulder. "Chloe stop." He said quietly. "We'll be fine."  
  
Chloe looked at him. She was finding herself constantly amazed by how adaptable he was. He settled into his new clothes comfortably, retaining an air of authority, but not looking out of place. He wasn't nervous at being on the run, just cautious. And he was even comfortable with the toque.  
  
"How do you do it?" She asked, suddenly.  
  
Lex looked up from the menu. "Pardon?"  
  
"How do you deal with everything so easily?" Chloe gestured to his clothes, and vaguely around the room. "I mean, are you even nervous?"  
  
"No." Lex said simply, after giving it some thought. "I'm confident that I can resolve this situation. We were only kidnapped. It wasn't an assassination attempt... I don't believe that their motive was death." He looked thoughtful. "As for the clothing. I am wearing the disguise because you have stated you'd rather I didn't seek retribution with you present... so for the time being I'll avoid attention until you're safe in Smallville." His eyes dropped back to the menu.  
  
Chloe looked amused. "You know, you don't have to talk like you're in a board meeting with me."  
  
Lex looked up again and his lips quirked. In a dead pan voice he said, "I'm gonna get them. Nobody messes with me... eloquent enough?"  
  
Chloe laughed. "It was okay. You still used the word 'eloquent' though. Kinda wrecked the mood." Feeling more relaxed, and slightly reassured of her safety, Chloe began perusing the menu for something that looked good.  
  
The waitress returned, taking their orders, and bringing them coffee. When the waitress had left again, Chloe leaned over the table, closer to Lex.  
  
"So what's the plan now?" She asked quietly.  
  
Lex held a hand up to indicate he'd heard her, before flagging down a different waitress.  
  
"We're just passing through, and I've forgotten the name of your town. I'm sorry." He said to her.  
  
The waitress smiled. "Oh, that's okay. Heck, I fergit it sometimes!" The waitress paused, and Chloe wondered if she actually *had* forgotten.  
  
"This is Seyer Bay!" She continued with a grin. "Not really big, but we gots a nice beach a little north uh here if yer interested."  
  
Lex smiled. "Actually, we were wondering how far we'd need to go to find an airport."  
  
"An airport?" She frowned as she thought. Chloe was beginning to wonder if this particular waitress could chew gum and walk at the same time. She was surprised that Lex was being so patient.  
  
"Well, now! Ah guess you might just have to go all the ways to Portland. Leastways that's where most uh the tourists are from."  
  
"And how far is Portland from here?" Lex asked.  
  
"Uh couple uh hours, I guess." The waitress answered.  
  
Lex prompted her again. "Any way we could get there from here? Out car broke down and we have to make a flight." Lex lied smoothly.  
  
"Well, not really. I reckon you could rent a car in Astoria, but that's 'bout an hour away. Heck, if you could git there, you may as well just go twice as far to Portland, and just drive *there* instead."  
  
"Thanks." Lex said dryly.  
  
The waitress beamed. "Glad ah could help! Enjoy your stay here!"  
  
Lex sighed as the waitress walked away.  
  
Chloe grinned. "So, about your plan... it doesn't involved quizzing anymore sweet but vacant waitresses, does it?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "I hope not. But we should be able to get out of here all the same." He slid out of the booth and stood up. At Chloe's somewhat panicked look, Lex said, "I'm just making a phone call. I'll explain my plan when I get back."  
  
She still looked uncomfortable with his leaving the booth. "Chloe. I'll be right over there." He pointed to a pay phone stuck to the wall by the door, before walking in that direction.  
  
Chloe watched him reached the pay phone, and punch some numbers in. The waitress arrived with their food, and Chloe poked at it. Keeping a close eye on Lex.  
  
"Pull yourself together!" She finally muttered to herself. "It's not like you couldn't handle this yourself! It's just nice to have him along!" She stabbed her fork into a sausage and took a bite. She knew she was kidding herself, but she felt better. No one could accuse Chloe Sullivan of not being a liberated woman. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts, and began digging into her eggs.  
  
She was about to swallow a bite of egg, when she felt her heart stop. She had glanced out the window and there were the kidnappers, stepping out of their car. She managed to swallow the egg without choking.  
  
"Lex!" She called in a loud whisper. She didn't want to wave because she figured if she could see the kidnappers through the windows, they could see a blonde girl waving frantically.  
  
At the phone, Lex glanced at Chloe out of the corner of his eyes and held up a finger for her to wait a sec. Then he returned his attention to the phone.  
  
Feeling frustration and panic rising up inside, Chloe slid out of the booth as nonchalantly as possible. She crossed the restaurant floor, barely breathing, as she watched the kidnappers head towards the restaurant.  
  
Reaching Lex, she tapped him on the shoulder. "Lex, they're here." She whispered.  
  
Lex stopped talking mid-sentence, and glanced quickly towards the door. The henchman had just pulled it open and was stepping inside. Lex could feel Chloe tensing beside him, gearing up to run away. Lex acted quickly, but as smoothly as possible.  
  
He angled his body, so that the kidnappers couldn't see his face or Chloe. "I'll call you back." He said into the phone, and hung up. Then he turned towards Chloe.  
  
"Dammit girl!" He said, assuming an accent similar to that of the vacant waitress. "You keep pesterin' me and yer gonna git what ya asked for!"  
  
Chloe looked at him surprised. "Wha..." Was all she got out before Lex snaked an arm around her waist, and roughly pulled her up against him. He backed Chloe against the wall, kissing her neck, and shielding her face from the kidnappers in the process.  
  
One of the henchmen chuckled as they walked by. "Now he's got the right idea!" He said to his partner, before walking by.  
  
Lex moved his mouth to hers. Chloe sighed and her arms moved up around his neck of their own accord. Lex's hand caressed her back as he moved his hand behind her head. He wrapped his hand in her hair, and deepened the kiss. Swallowing her quiet moan, he slipped his tongue into her mouth.  
  
Chloe angled her body closer to Lex, loath for the contact to stop. Lex broke away, peppering her jaw with kisses, and Chloe unknowingly whimpered at the loss of his mouth.  
  
Lex willed his mind to reengage, to focus on the situation at hand. He realized that while he had been wildly successful in his ruse, the kidnappers hadn't given them a second look; there was no way he was going to be able to go on as they had been. Her body was too perfect, her lips too soft, and her taste too sweet for Lex to ignore.  
  
Trying to disregard the feel of Chloe's arms around his neck, her body against his, and focus on their predicament, he heard the waitress intoning about the specials. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the kidnappers had been seated at the far end of the restaurant.  
  
He untangled Chloe's arms from around his neck, and keeping his own arm around her waist, hurried them out of the restaurant.  
  
Moving quickly down the street, Lex headed down a side street, away from the Main Street of the little town. A few blocks away, they found a small park. They walked over to a bench, and sat down. Lex slid his arm across the back of the bench. His eyes watching the streets around them to see if they made a clean getaway.  
  
Chloe sat stiffly on the bench. She could feel Lex's arm across the back, and refused to relax against him. She thought back to the restaurant and suppressed a groan. What had prompted her to behave that way? Lex had obviously kissed her to hide them from the kidnappers, and she had kissed him back with all the pent up energy she'd been feeling since she first fell on top of him in the wine cellar.  
  
She wanted the ground to open, and swallow her up. What was Lex thinking? She wondered. He probably thought she was some dumb high school kid with a hero complex, liking him just because he'd saved her life.  
  
That thought caused Chloe to pause in her mental tirade. Was that it? She wondered. Was it just because Lex had saved her that she was feeling so drawn to him?  
  
She glanced at Lex out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her with his trademark smirk in place. She quickly jerked her gaze in the opposite direction, feeling a blush rise up her neck to her cheeks. Nope. She thought, trying to fight the blush down. It was his looks, his attitude and his general magnetism!  
  
Lex smiled to himself. He was pleased with Chloe's reaction. Nothing was more enjoyable then seducing someone who wanted to be seduced; and Chloe was not behaving like someone who'd object to that kind of attention.  
  
Lex was still aware however, that now was perhaps not the most appropriate time. He needed to get Chloe somewhere safer, needed to find the perpetrators, and deal with them, before he could let himself pursue Chloe.  
  
"Well, looks like that worked." Lex said suddenly, feeling the need to move on. The sooner he wrapped this up, the better in his mind.  
  
Chloe jumped as he spoke suddenly. "Yeah, looks like." Berating herself for sounding so inane, she formulated a more articulate question. "So what's your big plan then?"  
  
"Well, we need to get to Portland obviously. I was trying to get through to my secretary at Lexcorp earlier." He said. "I don't have the money on me to arrange anything, but she may be able to do it from there. We need a car, and a plane."  
  
Chloe nodded. "And then we're back in Smallville, right?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Safe and sound."  
  
"That's the whole plan? What happens after we're back?"  
  
Lex looked at her. "Then you go back to school, and I take care of this little problem." He said simply.  
  
"You weren't seriously planning to leave me out, were you?"  
  
Lex looked at her, a somewhat patronizing smile playing on his lips. "Chloe, you were uncomfortable with the level of violence I displayed in dealing with a man who held a gun to your head." Lex pointed out. "When I fix this mess, I don't intend to go easy on them."  
  
Chloe sat, watching Lex's eyes, and trying to come to a decision. She didn't want to watch Lex kill anyone, and she was surprised to find that she fully believed him capable of it. She reasoned that if she was along for the ride, then maybe she could temper his aggression. And plus, it was a huge story. There was no way she was going to let herself be cut out, just because she was a little uncomfortable with certain aspects of Lex's character. She made up her mind.  
  
"I won't just go away just like that." She said, setting her jaw and preparing to argue her case. "I want to help! They kidnapped me too!"  
  
Lex watched her eyes flash fire. Her skin was flushed and her body tense as she demanded to be allowed back into a dangerous situation. Lex managed to refrain from genuinely smiling. He'd be crazy not to agree to keep her at his side.  
  
"All right." He said, into the middle of Chloe's ongoing tirade.  
  
"...and furthermore... what?" Chloe asked.  
  
"I could use an investigative reporter on my side anyway." Lex continued.  
  
"Really?" Chloe asked, still not sure he wasn't just playing her.  
  
Lex nodded. "Yeah, now come one. We need to find a phone, and get my marvelous plan rolling."  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: The kiss was in honor of Sezza. Who am I to deprive someone of chlexy goodness? :) But I hope this chapter was to everyone's satisfaction... heh heh 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: My chapters seem to be getting longer with each one I write. So if it's bugging anyone, let me know, and I'll try and cut them off sooner. :)  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
They walked back towards the main street in a casual manner. The closer they got to the main street however, the slower Chloe walked.  
  
Looking back and seeing Chloe almost four steps behind him, and still slowing, Lex waited until she caught up with him. Slinging an arm over her shoulder, he started off again at his pace, pulling Chloe along so that she couldn't slow.  
  
"You're gonna have to get over being afraid of these guys if you wanna help solve this." He said simply, as they stepped back onto the main street. There was a pay phone a few blocks away, and they headed towards it.  
  
Acknowledging his advice, Chloe kept pace with him all the way to the phone booth, trying to convince herself that she wasn't afraid, and that she could definitely handle the situation.  
  
Lex stepped into the phone booth, leaving the door open so that Chloe didn't feel closed off from him. He dialed up his office at Lexcorp, calling collect.  
  
Chloe waited outside, watching the traffic, and keeping an eye on the restaurant, which she could see a ways down the street.  
  
Lex heard his secretary pick up and the message from the Phone Company as they stated who the call was from, and asked whether they wanted to accept charges.  
  
Lex smiled as he heard her growl 'yes', and then winced as she came onto the line.  
  
"Boy you've got some nerve mister! I'm gonna report you to the police! How dare you try to impersonate Mr. Luthor! He's missing or didn't anyone tell you that! I'm calling the police right now! I'm on the other line, so don't you dare hang up! They're gonna trace this call, and then we'll see if you still think you're a Luthor..."  
  
"Stop the other line, Melissa. This *is* Mr. Luthor." His voice was hard and brooked no disagreement.  
  
"What?" Melissa stopped mid-rant.  
  
"Did you stop the call to the police?" Lex asked quietly.  
  
"Yes sir, Mr. Luthor." Melissa said quietly, doing it as she spoke. "I'm very sorry about yelling. I didn't recognize your voice at first! You see we've had a couple of crank calls from people wanting to have some say in your business now that you're gone... or when they thought you were gone... er. Where are you Mr. Luthor? There's stuff happening here, and I don't know what to do!"  
  
"Melissa, listen carefully. I need you to send Adams. I need you to call my housekeeper, and make sure she sends some credit cards with Adams. I need him to bring a car, preferably an unobtrusive one, and I need him to bring it to a small town on the Oregon coast. Do you understand me so far?"  
  
"Yes, just let me write this down!" Melissa scribbled everything onto a pad of paper. "Mr. Luthor, if you don't mind my asking what's all this about?"  
  
"I do mind. You'll find out in good time. In the interim however, deal with the company the way you would were I on holiday."  
  
"You never go on..."  
  
"A business trip then. Tell people you can get a message to me, but that I am unavailable until further notice."  
  
"Yes Mr. Luthor."  
  
"Now. When you reach Adams, tell him that I need him here tomorrow, noon at the latest." Lex paused.  
  
"Where should he meet you sir?" Melissa asked.  
  
"Tell him that I'll call him on his phone at noon." Lex paused. "Now, I'm going to call back in half an hour, and I want you to tell me that everything is arranged. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, I'll get on it right away."  
  
"Fine." Lex said, and then hung up the phone.  
  
Chloe had been listening in. She chose not to comment on his abrupt manner with his secretary. She was an employee after all and she figured that if the girl was really poorly treated she could quit. But the other person Lex had mentioned was interesting.  
  
"Lex, who's Adams?" She asked, as he stepped out of the booth.  
  
Lex smiled. "Let me put it this way. I don't like to dirty my hands unless I have to."  
  
Chloe's eyes widened. "You think we're gonna have to do a lot of that? Dirtying of hands I mean?"  
  
Lex pinned her with a gaze that made her feel a little foolish.  
  
"Ah, of course we are." She answered herself. "These guys wouldn't be intimidated by anything less."  
  
Lex nodded. "In the mean time, I need to find another phone. I have no doubt that Melissa is still loyal, but I wouldn't put it past someone to be trying to trace the calls without her knowing." Then he headed off towards the beaches west of Main Street.  
  
Chloe followed, trying to figure out whether she would be capable of 'dirtying her hands', as Lex had so delicately put it. She wondered if maybe she should have just gone back to Smallville. She shook her head. She was a hard-hitting journalist who did what it took to get a good story! Those kidnappers weren't going to scare her off, and the thought of this Adams guy interrogating someone wasn't going to scare her off either, dammit!  
  
Lex watched as indecision played across Chloe's features. "Chloe." He spoke sharply, to get her attention. When she looked up, surprised at his tone, he continued more gently. "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with." She opened her mouth to interrupt. Lex shook his head to stop her and continued, "And that includes tracking these people down. If you don't want to be here, the second that Adams gets here with my credit cards, I'll send you back to Smallville."  
  
"But you won't be coming?" Her question coming out as more of a statement.  
  
"That's right." Lex said simply. "If no harm had come to my business, and it was just me, it's conceivable that I may have let it go at putting the fear of the Luthor's into these guys.  
  
"However, the moment they included you in this mess, was the moment they stepped over the line. I refuse to allow people that know me to be caught in the crossfire. So I won't stop until I go to the very top, and destroy whoever I find there."  
  
Chloe was surprised at the depth of his feelings in the matter of her being kidnapped along with him. She could have laughed at his comment about destroying the person that had orchestrated the whole thing, but he was too serious. The cold look in his eyes, and his tone of voice sent a shiver down Chloe's spine. It was the same tone he had used on the phone with the Winston guy. But it was even more menacing now, when she had a better idea of what Lex was capable of.  
  
"Well, I'm going to stick out." Chloe said at last. "I'm not going to let them scare me away." Mustering up her courage as she said the words, she plunged ahead. "And that said, what do we do while we're waiting for Adams to arrive?"  
  
"I need to call Melissa back, and then we find some place to hole up until tomorrow."  
  
Chloe nodded. "Well, there's a phone over there by that beach volleyball court." She pointed it out.  
  
As they walked by the court, Chloe noted that the people playing volleyball all looked like rich snobs. She wondered if Lex had ever seemed like that when he'd been in prep school. Lex walked by without sparing a single glance their way.  
  
He picked up the phone, and dialed for the time. He planned to give Melissa exactly half an hour.  
  
Meanwhile, Chloe noted with displeasure, that one of the girls who'd been watching the volleyball game, was making her way over to them.  
  
Chloe scowled, trying to make the girl leave, but since the girl's eyes were focused mostly on Lex she didn't really notice.  
  
"Hey there." She said, catching his eye with a flick of her fingers. "You don't look like you're from around here."  
  
Lex looked bored. "And?" He asked, not really paying attention.  
  
"Well..." The girl smiled, not at all put off by Lex's attitude. "I'm not from around here either. And to be quite honest, you look like you could use a little fun."  
  
Lex smirked. "I look like that do I?" He asked. Chloe scowled.  
  
The girl nodded. "Well, you look like my type that is, and *I* could use a little fun!"  
  
"And what type would that be?" Chloe demanded, making it clear that she was not going to be left out of the conversation.  
  
"Rich." The girl said succinctly. "Now be quiet kid, and let mom and pop talk."  
  
Chloe's jaw dropped, and Lex managed to smother a laugh.  
  
"Well, I'm a little busy. Maybe some other time." He said, indicating the phone, as he punched the number for the time in again.  
  
"Well, I'm just over there." She said with a wink, pointing to the volleyball court. "If you change your mind!" She blew him an air kiss, and then sauntered back towards the courts.  
  
Chloe spluttered a little at her treatment. "How dare she! How dare you!" She glared at Lex. "Way to defend your partner in crime!" She quipped.  
  
Lex chuckled. "Tell you what. Ream me out later, okay?" Then he punched the number for his office in.  
  
Melissa accepted charges without the yelling this time.  
  
"Mr. Luthor?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Everything is taken care of. Your housekeeper had your credit cards sent to the office, and Mr. Adams will pick them up, before arriving in the area you specified by noon tomorrow." She paused. "Is everything all right, Mr. Luthor?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you. Everything is fine. I'll be in touch." And he hung up.  
  
Chloe waited expectantly for Lex to tell her what was up.  
  
"Well. Adams will be here tomorrow, with money, which will be nice. Nothing like not having it, to realize you take it for granted." Lex said with a slight smile.  
  
"Well, she sure noticed." Chloe muttered. Glaring at the girl sitting by the volleyball court. "You're dressed up like a punk, and she *still* smelled money on you!"  
  
Lex smiled. "Well, I do have about thirty dollars left in my pocket and the keys to the Ferrari. She probably smelled that."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Whatever."  
  
Lex leaned against the phone booth, observing Chloe, and the girl by the volleyball court. A plan slowly started to form.  
  
"How do you feel about being my sister?" He asked Chloe suddenly.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Chloe looked at him, surprised. After that kiss, being his sister was the farthest thing from her mind.  
  
"Well, we do need a place to stay tonight. I think I can get us into a really nice place."  
  
Chloe looked suspicious. "Le-ex." She said, drawing his name out, her voice as menacing as she could make it. "Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this plan?" She asked.  
  
Lex shrugged. "I have no idea." He ignored her menacing tone. She had a ways to go yet, before it had any effect on him, he thought with a smile.  
  
Then with a grin in her direction, he walked across the sand to where the girl was sitting by the volleyball courts. Chloe ground her teeth, as she watched him sit down. The girl beamed at Lex.  
  
Chloe wasn't sure what the plan was but she wasn't going get cut out of it. She stalked over, and sat down on the other side of Lex.  
  
"So she's your sister, Alex?" The girl was saying as Chloe sat. She glanced at Chloe with a nasty look on her face. "I wondered why you were tolerating her presence."  
  
Lex smiled, and patted Chloe's head condescendingly. "Well, you know. You have to make do."  
  
Chloe all but growled. She felt Lex's hand still on her head and move to her shoulder, gripping her warningly.  
  
"Here's the thing, Angie." He said to the girl, when he was sure that Chloe wasn't going to rip the girl's throat out. "I need a place to stay, and I suppose she does too." He jerked his head in Chloe's direction.  
  
Angie looked interested.  
  
"See, my Ferrari is in the shop. What can I say?" He asked with a shrug. "I guess I drove it too hard. The thing is, the parts they need won't be here till tomorrow and..." He trailed off. "Have you *seen* the motels in this town?"  
  
Angie laughed. "Well, Alex, I think I can help you out. My folks have a nice place just outside of town. Private beach, hot tub, I think you may find it a little more to your liking." She batted her eyelashes. "You'd have to put up with little old me though!"  
  
Chloe groaned. She figured if she had to play the roll of the sister, she may as well get into it. "Gag me!" She muttered, earning a dirty look from Lex and Angie.  
  
Lex turned his attention back to Angie. "I'm sure I can handle you." He said, allowing his voice to drop to a suggestive register. Angie giggled.  
  
Rolling her eyes at how gullible the girl was, Chloe cleared her throat. "*Alex*, I'm really hungry. Do we have to sit around in the sand all day?" She demanded, doing her best to sound rich and spoiled.  
  
"Actually, food is a good idea." Lex agreed, smiling at Angie. "I bet you have a great kitchen at your place!"  
  
Angie nodded. "And a world class chef. He could whip something up for you in a second!"  
  
"Sounds fantastic!" Lex said with such enthusiasm, that Chloe wondered how the girl was suckered in at all. "Well, let's get going!" He got to his feet, helping Angie up, and leaving Chloe to her own devices.  
  
Angie linked her arm in Lex's heading towards the parking lot. She waved to her friends on the volleyball court and walked away from the catcalls, hoots and hollers.  
  
Chloe shook her head. Leave it to Lex, she figured, to find the one girl with a bad reputation in the vicinity. Managing to keep her sense of humor intact, she followed in Lex and Angie's wake.  
  
Angie pulled her remote start out of her pocket as they neared the parking lot. "Now, it's no Ferrari, but it's nothing to sneeze at." She said, as a top of the line BMW hummed to life. She hopped into the driver's seat, popping the lock to the passenger door. Lex slid into the car.  
  
Chloe rapped her knuckles against the window. "Oh brother dear." She crooned. "I don't think mother would like for you to leave me all alone in a parking lot."  
  
Lex faked a sigh of frustration. He reached back, and opened the backdoor.  
  
Chloe flopped in. "And no kissing. I don't wanna watch that!"  
  
Angie snorted. "What makes you think you have any say in what we do? You're just some punk kid dragging her brother down."  
  
"I'll te-ell." Chloe said in a sing-song voice. She was actually getting into this. She'd never had anyone to bug growing up, and was enjoying bugging Angie.  
  
Lex rolled his eyes for Angie's benefit. "Can we go? The sooner we're at you house, the sooner we can lock her in a bathroom or something!"  
  
Angie giggled, and roared out of the parking lot.  
  
Chloe made a point of being a nuisance. She reached between the two of them, to switch the radio from a romantic tune, to rap. She kicked the back of Angie's seat, and made gagging noises whenever Angie looked in Lex's direction.  
  
"God! How old it she?" Exasperated, Angie glared behind her. Chloe stuck her tongue out.  
  
Lex chuckled. "She's spoiled. Only daughter." He shrugged. "You get used to her. She's like an annoying insect. You just ignore it, and it'll go away."  
  
Angie laughed like Lex was the wittiest guy in the world. "I bet."  
  
The BMW ate up the road, and they were quickly out of town, and heading down the highway. Chloe noted that Lex seemed to sit up straighter, and began paying attention to the scenery herself. Then she saw why. They were approaching the mansion, where they had stolen the Ferrari.  
  
Chloe shuddered, as the BMW whipped by that property. She caught only a glimpse of the glass showroom, before they were moving on. She held her breath, as the car roared up on the next gate in line. Suddenly, she felt panicky. What if this girl *lived* with the kidnappers?  
  
Her blood ran cold as the gate approached...  
  
And passed them in a flash. Chloe started breathing again, realizing that she had been holding her breath. Lex spared a glance at her over his shoulder, glad that she hadn't noticeably panicked.  
  
Then Angie began to slow down, and a gate swung open. Chloe realized that Angie lived right next to the kidnappers, on the other side!  
  
The BMW turned into the lane, and drove up to a stately looking manor. There were white columns at the front, with a balcony over the top, and ivy crawling up the side of it.  
  
Angie smiled as the car pulled at a stop. "Well, it's not much, but it's home!" She said as she got out. Lex followed suit, looking around the property.  
  
Angie held her arms wide. "What do you think?" She asked.  
  
Lex smiled at Chloe as she got out of the car. He looked at Angie.  
  
"It's perfect." He said. "In fact, I don't think I could have dreamed up a better situation!"  
  
Angie beamed, while Chloe looked nervously in the direction of the kidnapper's mansion, shielded from view by trees and a big brick wall, she knew had to be there.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: Feedback makes the world go 'round! And makes stories too! I know I'm begging, but this *is* my first fanfic after all! So review eh? :) 


	9. Chapter 9

"La dee da!" Chloe snorted. "This looks like our guest house!" She bolstered her courage, by telling herself that the kidnappers were still in Seyer Bay, and had no way of knowing that Chloe and Lex were so close at hand.  
  
Angie shot her a glare. "Well, I hope you don't mind slumming it!" She snarked back at Chloe. Then plastering a smile on her face, she linked her arm in Lex's, and headed towards the house.  
  
Chloe followed after them. She wasn't sure how well Angie was going to take it when she found out that Lex was only interested in her home, and not her body...  
  
Chloe stopped walking, and looked hard at Lex, who seemed to be completely at ease, as he walked into the mansion with Angie. Her eyes narrowed.  
  
"This had better be a farce!" She growled to herself, surprising herself with her feelings of possessiveness. She knew Lex had a playboy reputation, but he better not be acting on it. Spurred on by her own thoughts, she ran up the steps and into the mansion.  
  
She couldn't see them. Looking around in vain, for a servant or a butler to ask directions of, she came up empty. Frustrated, she did the next best thing.  
  
"Hey!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The sound echoed around the immense hall the front door opened into. "Where is everybody? Hel-lo?" Still yelling at the top of her lungs, she wandered further in from the door. "Hey, stupid *brother*!"  
  
She was about to sink to expletives to get some attention, when a door smashed open from the side of the hall. Angie stood there, glaring at her. Lex was standing behind her with a glass of brandy in his hand, and a smirk in place.  
  
"Oh. There you are." Chloe said sweetly, in a totally normal voice. "I wondered where you'd gotten to."  
  
Lex's smirk grew to a small smile. When Angie turned towards him, and he wiped the smile off his face.  
  
"Alex, is she always like this?" Angie demanded.  
  
Lex looked past Angie and made eye contact with Chloe. "Yep, she's plagued my mind since the first moment I saw her." He said. Angie turned back to glare at Chloe. Behind her back, Lex raised his glass in a toast to Chloe, and took a sip.  
  
Chloe was abruptly feeling better. Lex was having fun at Angie's expense. Everything was right with the world. Chloe thought. Well except for that other stuff, like kidnapping.  
  
Angie scoffed. "So you've been a pain in the ass from birth?"  
  
"Blah, blah." Chloe said, scooting by Angie, and into the room. She shot Lex a smirk back, before flopping onto the couch, and looking around.  
  
It was a comfortably set up living area, complete with a couch, some chairs, end tables, a TV and a stereo. Chloe had flopped down on the biggest couch and stretched out. She grabbed the nearest remote, quickly deducing it was for the TV, and flipped in on.  
  
Lex chose to sit in an overstuffed easy chair, leaving Angie with the option of sitting along or standing and grinding her teeth. Angie went for option three, instead.  
  
Sparing a nasty glance Chloe's way, she set her own drink down before walking over to Lex. She leaned down, running her hands up Lex's chest, before settling herself on his lap.  
  
Chloe watched in astonishment, wondering what kind of girl would come on to someone in front of their little sister. Then suddenly remembering her role, she gagged.  
  
Angie glanced over at Chloe. "You don't like it... shut your eyes kiddo." She said smugly.  
  
"Excuse me? I *don't* think I'm that much younger then you!"  
  
Angie ignored her, leaning in to whisper something to Lex. Chloe deliberately turned the TV up.  
  
Playing along, Lex looked at Angie, motioning that he hadn't heard. "What?" He asked.  
  
Angie was about to respond, when the TV volume raised a little bit more. Biting back a less then savory remark, Angie got off of Lex, and stomped across the room. Reaching behind the TV, she unplugged it.  
  
Then, shooting daggers out of her eyes at Chloe, she made her way back to Lex.  
  
"Where were we?" She asked, sitting on his lap again.  
  
"You were trying to say something. I didn't catch it though." Chloe said, from the couch.  
  
"I was going to suggest we find another room, and leave this one to your sister." Angie said, as seductively as possible considering, her mind was mostly bent on visions of death and destruction with Chloe in the starring role.  
  
Lex smiled. "Where did you want to go?" He asked.  
  
"Hot tub?" Angie asked innocently.  
  
Lex shrugged. "Haven't got any swim wear."  
  
Angie's eyes lit up, and Chloe almost gave the whole plot up right then. A warning look from Lex stilled her tongue.  
  
"Come on stud." Angie said. "I'm sure we can make due." Then rising she made to leave the room. She stopped when Lex didn't immediately follow.  
  
"Well?" She said.  
  
"Just give me a second." Lex said, then his voice more menacing. "I need to have a word with my sister." He glared at Chloe, and then flashed a smile at Angie. "I'll be right there."  
  
Angie nodded. "Okay, but don't kill her. I mean, carpet cleaning bills can be nasty." She sauntered out of the room, and shut the door.  
  
Chloe glanced up at Lex. He still had a look of warning in his eyes. Her heart sank. Was he going to tell her to back off, for real? She met his gaze.  
  
Abruptly, the menace was gone, replaced with mirth. He walked over, and sat down on the couch next to Chloe.  
  
"Where did you learn to be a pain in the ass like that?" He asked amazed. "I thought you were an only child! *I* was going to kill you and I don't even *like* Angie!"  
  
Chloe managed to stifle a sigh of relief at that, but Lex caught the relief all the same.  
  
"Chloe." He said her name softly, and made a point of brushing his hand against her cheek. "I said this was a plan. Surely you're not *that* swayed by what gossip columns write about me."  
  
"Well, you were being pretty convincing." Chloe admitted, without meeting his eyes. She was embarrassed enough by the situation. No need for Lex to see how much *she* wanted to be the one sitting on his lap.  
  
Lex smirked. "So were you. I don't think Angie has any clue. But..." He trailed off, and Chloe glanced up at him. His eyes were smiling but his mouth was serious. "You do have a purpose yet."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"To make one hundred percent sure that nothing happens in that hot tub!" Lex said, the smile in his eyes reaching his lips. "I'd like to be able to stay here free of suspicion, but Angie's moving right along, and I don't know how much more I can take!"  
  
Chloe laughed. "I see. Even to the point of revealing out little secret?"  
  
"What's that?" Lex asked. "That you're *not* my sister, and in a million years, my feelings towards you will never be that type?" He smiled.  
  
Lex said it so easily that Chloe almost missed it. Had Lex just admitted that he liked her? Had the kiss at the diner been more then a cover? Chloe's mind raced, and she was about to ask Lex when she realized that she couldn't form a coherent question.  
  
Lex smiled. He knew what he'd done. He'd watched her go from irritated to apprehensive when he was talking with Angie. He was surprised that he didn't find himself cornered by Chloe's apparent jealousy, but almost comforted by it.  
  
"I've got to go, or she'll think I killed you." He said, as Chloe's mind was still racing. "Follow us. Be a pain. I really don't think I can take that woman on my lap again!"  
  
Chloe laughed. "I see. Well, you *did* get us into this mess. You may have to deal with the consequences." Chloe smiled evilly.  
  
Lex looked surprised. "You mean thing!" He laughed, before walking out the door in search of Angie.  
  
Chloe flopped back on the couch. Somehow Lex had taken priority over the kidnappers. For the moment, she was safe, out of danger. And all she could think about was killing Angie.  
  
Well, maybe not *killing* Angie. Chloe reasoned. Just maiming her a little. Or telling her who Lex was and that she didn't have a shot with him. All very appealing prospects.  
  
She jumped off the couch, and went in search of the hot tub.  
  
She caught up with the quickly enough. Angie was opening the door to the pool room when Chloe snuck up behind her.  
  
"Hey!" She said, with false brightness. "Mind if I join you? Nothing like a fun hot tub party!"  
  
Angie turned around quickly, glaring at Chloe. "Where'd you come from? Why aren't you watching TV?"  
  
"Remote wouldn't work." Chloe said simply.  
  
"That's because I unplugged the TV." Angie ground out through her teeth. "I'll have someone plug it back in for you. How's that?"  
  
"No, that's okay." Chloe said, managing not to let her voice take on a sing- song quality. "I'd rather soak in the hot tub anyways." She paused.  
  
Angie sighed. She was desperately trying to come up with something to do that could only be done by two people and that Chloe wouldn't be interested in.  
  
She smiled. Her thoughts going to a certain activity that only required two people and she was one hundred percent sure Chloe wouldn't want to watch. She turned to Lex.  
  
Her eyes were sultry. Lex immediately realizing what was going on, began trying to find away out of it without loosing the house. He didn't care about Angie, but he did want to vantage point that her house allowed.  
  
Angie backed Lex up against the wall. She slid her arms up his chest, to his head. Both Chloe and Lex knew where this was going, and both were interested to see Angie's reaction. It was not what they expected.  
  
Angie pulled Lex's toque off, and froze.  
  
"Oh my god!" She muttered.  
  
Chloe hoped it was the end of the farce. She took in Lex's smirk. He didn't seem to be to unhappy by her reaction to his head. Angie's next words were unexpected however.  
  
"I know you!" She said breathy. "I can't believe I have Lex Luthor in my house! I knew you looked familiar!"  
  
If anything, Angie got more persistent. Angie pulled his head down, and Chloe knew where this was going.  
  
"Okay. Stop." Chloe said. Nobody kissed Lex but her! Shaking the thought out of her head, Chloe marched up to them, and yanked Angie's hands away from Lex. "*This* has gone far enough, and I just can't watch this anymore."  
  
Angie looked relieved. "Good." She said. "You can go."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Nope. I'm not leaving. But you are going to stop mooning all over Lex."  
  
Angie actually growled. "I don't know who you think you are, but you are not in control here. You're precious mommy isn't here, and me and your brother are."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and smirked. It was a perfect Luthor smirk, and it made Lex smile.  
  
Fed up with Chloe, Angie was about to call for her butler to throw Chloe out, when Lex sighed.  
  
"The thing is, Angie. I can't let you do that."  
  
"What?" Angie's astonishment was apparent. "You can't seriously be defending this, this brat!"  
  
Chloe smiled evilly, wanting to drive the dagger home. "I can make this even clearer for you." She said. "We'll play a game." She held up her arm, with the handcuff hanging off of it. "Whoever finds the other cuff, gets to keep Lex." She said in a fake excited tone, like the kind of voice you'd use when trying to convince a dog it *did* want to go to the vet.  
  
Lex rolled his eyes. He could see that Chloe was having way too much fun at Angie's expense, but since it was so fun to watch, he decided to let her.  
  
Angie's eyes narrowed as she actually took in Chloe's 'bracelet'. "Where'd that come from?"  
  
"I've been wearing it since the first moment you met me." Chloe scoffed. "But then, you're not really the most observant type." She sighed. "Let's get to the point, okay?"  
  
Before Angie could say anything, Chloe slipped between her and Lex, and pulled the sleeve up on Lex's sweatshirt.  
  
"Oh, look. I win." Chloe quipped; suddenly feeling pleased at what most people assumed when they saw the handcuffs. It worked in her favor.  
  
It took a moment for Angie to realize what she was seeing, and she took it in the worst possible way. "With your sister?" She was shocked, and both Chloe and Lex could see the blood drain out of her face. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes at Angie's dramatics. "Use your head! When did you ever hear about the Luthor sister? Cause if you have, you've heard more then me!" Chloe pointed out.  
  
Angie stopped whining, and straightened her back. "Well, I never!"  
  
"I never heard of her either." Chloe smiled.  
  
"I can't believe this!" She snarled at Lex. "Well, you can both go! See how you like staying in those crappy motels in town!"  
  
Lex sighed. As much fun as it had been for Chloe to reveal the farce, it did pose the problem of staying longer in Angie's mansion. Finally coming to a decision, he pulled the gun out from the back of his pants, and pointed it at Angie.  
  
"Actually, we're not going anywhere." He said.  
  
Chloe was surprised to see the gun. She hadn't remembered what had happened to it, and didn't realize that Lex was still carrying it around. She was also a little surprised how fast he took things to the next level. No sweet- talk for Angie. Just straight to the gun in her face.  
  
Chloe actually took a moment to feel sorry for her. She knew how scary it was to be faced with a man with a gun, and not know why you were in the situation.  
  
"Let's go someplace quiet." Lex said, "Where we can talk. You have a study anyplace around here?" He voice was doing the menacing thing again, and Chloe could see that it was turning Angie to jelly.  
  
"Lex, be nice." Chloe said suddenly, feeling pity for the girl.  
  
Lex shot her a dark look, but didn't say anything more to Angie. He just motioned with the gun for her to leave the pool house.  
  
Chloe walked along beside Lex as he herded Angie along. Angie lead them upstairs to her father's study. They walked in, and Chloe shut the door behind them, as Lex indicated that Angie should sit in the chair behind the desk.  
  
"Chloe?" Lex asked, without looking at her. "See if you can't find anything that we can restrain Angie with."  
  
Chloe nodded, and promptly went to work, tossing the study. She came up with a roll of duct tape.  
  
Lex smiled. "You do the honors." He said.  
  
Chloe wrapped the duct tape around Angie, until there was no way she could move.  
  
Angie finally woke up to the situation, albeit too late, and began to scream. Lex grabbed the tape out of Chloe's hand and slapped a piece across Angie's mouth.  
  
Lex sighed, when Angie was silent and immobile. He looked at Chloe.  
  
"Went a little overboard, don't you think?" He asked.  
  
Chloe shrugged. "What? She was all over you. It was disgusting. It triggered my mean streak!"  
  
Lex smiled. "You may be the long lost Luthor sister after all."  
  
"God no, not in a million years." Chloe let slip, just as she realized her words were echoing what Lex had said earlier, and that she was basically admitting she had feelings for Lex, to his face.  
  
Lex smiled. It had taken some work, but he had managed to get a sort of admission from her out loud. And a 'sort of' admission was good enough for him.  
  
And Adams wasn't set to arrive until noon the next day.  
  
With a glance at Angie, Lex pulled Chloe out into the hall, and shut the door.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: I know this was sort of a filler chapter, and that it was of the Angie bashing variety, but it was so fun to write. I couldn't resist. Anyways, I hope those of you that wanted to kill her were satisfied. :) We'll get back to the kidnappers shortly. ;) 


	10. Chapter 10

Chloe allowed Lex to pull her abruptly into the hall. Before she could even ask what was going on, Lex had pushed her up against the wall. His hands were resting on her hips, and Chloe swore she could feel them burning her through the fabric. His body leaned into hers, effectively pinning her to the wall.  
  
"Lex?" She managed to ask in a fairly normal tone of voice, albeit a little breathy. "What are you doing?"  
  
If it was possible, he moved even closer to her. Lex ran one hand up her back, to her head. He spent a second playing with her hair, before wrapping his fingers into her hair, and cupping the back of her head. Gently he tilted her head back. Lex almost smiled at the semi-confused look in Chloe's eyes.  
  
Chloe could see humor as well as desire in his eyes as he looked down at her. She felt strangely helpless, pinned against the wall, but empowered as she realized that she had caused the look in his eyes. She managed to get her arms up and placed her palms against his chest. She pushed against him, trying to create more space to breathe.  
  
"Lex. What are you doing?" She asked again. She still felt short of breath, and no amount of space was going to fix it, she knew.  
  
Lex leaned down, and nuzzled the side of her neck before placing a kiss just below her ear. "What does it look like?" He breathed his question into her ear, making her shiver in his arms. Then he moved his mouth to hers.  
  
Chloe felt heat course through her body as Lex's lips found hers. She moved her arms from his chest, wrapping them behind his head, pulling him even closer. Lex's tongue teased her lips, and she opened her mouth to allow him access.  
  
Spurred on by her quiet moans, Lex grabbed her ass as hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Lex broke the kiss when he couldn't resist the need to breathe. Peppering her jaw with kisses, he smiled in masculine pride as she hummed in pleasure.  
  
Chloe tipped her head back against the wall to give Lex better access to her neck. She wasn't sure what Lex's motivations were, but she was sure as hell going to go along with this for as long as it lasted.  
  
"Le-ex..."  
  
Lex smiled as he heard the hitch in Chloe's voice caused by a nip to her throat. He licked the spot, then trailed his tongue down, enjoying a Chloe taste test.  
  
"Lex!" Chloe moaned again, before pulling his head up, and his mouth back to hers. Their tongue tangled as Chloe took charge of the kiss, exploring Lex's mouth with her tongue. She ran her hands down his back, enjoying the feel of the muscles underneath his shirt.  
  
Lex slid a hand under her shirt, skimming the soft flesh of her back, before moving his hand around to cup her breast.  
  
Chloe gasped as Lex rolled his thumb over her nipple. Lex pulled his mouth away again, sucking in gulps of air. "Chloe." He whispered against her ear, before drawing the lobe into his mouth and sucking on it.  
  
Chloe's head was tipped back against the wall, her eyes closed, as Lex sucked on her ear. Then she heard him clear his throat, and he sounded irritated. Forcing her eyes open and gazing through a lust induced fog, Chloe saw it was someone else standing behind them.  
  
The person cleared their throat again, and Chloe could hear them begin to tap their foot.  
  
"Lex." She said, pulling him away from her neck.  
  
Lex looked up when he heard the question in her voice. He met her eyes, and saw that she was looking over his shoulder.  
  
He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "Yes?" He asked sharply.  
  
The butler had stood; stunned when he came upon a couple trying to mate in the halls of what he thought had been an empty manor. And now the young man was looking at him like *he* was out of place!  
  
"I ask you again, what are you doing?" The butler demanded.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but I missed it the first time." Lex said, completely unrepentant. "But I was kinda busy."  
  
Chloe felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Now that she wasn't in the throes of the best kiss she'd ever received, she was feeling more then a little uncomfortable with the situation. She was Chloe Sullivan. He was Lex Luthor. Among other things, he was rich, powerful and damn good looking. He could have anyone he wanted. Why her? Her own defeatist thoughts added, and he's a lot older and your father's *boss* to boot!  
  
Chloe unwrapped her legs, letting them slide down the length of Lex's body, to the ground. The contact was enticing, but she forced her mind away from it, and stepped away from Lex's embrace.  
  
She could have sworn he growled. But he let her go, and turned to the butler. "Sorry, what was the question again?" He asked with a smirk.  
  
"What are you *doing* here?" The confused man nearly spat out.  
  
"We're friends of Angie's." Lex said easily. "We came here with her and Tommy." He allowed a knowing smile to cross his face. "They're in there." He said, jerking his thumb to the closed doors. "So we thought we'd take it out here."  
  
The butler stood, hovering in indecision. It was entirely probable that Angie had brought a group of friends home and even more likely that one of them was with her in the study. The fact that he had no idea who Tommy was, had no bearing on the situation. He never knew the names of her latest flames.  
  
And the young man seemed so at ease, even after being caught feeling his girl friend up. If anything, the man seemed about ready to throw him out. The butler would have double checked with Angie, but he could hear muffled moans and cries coming out of the study, and was not willing to intrude to determine what was what.  
  
Making his mind up, he nodded curtly to Lex. "I am sorry to interrupt. My name is Charles, if I can be of service please don't hesitate to ask." Then he turned on his heel, and walked away.  
  
Lex smiled at the retreating back of the butler. Then he turned to Chloe.  
  
She saw by the look in his eyes that he was more then ready to pick up where they left off. Chloe wasn't so sure. Not that kissing Lex hadn't been mind-blowingly great, but her crush was running full power, and she didn't want to get her heart broken by a man who was using her as a cover, or worse... just using her.  
  
The last thought seemed to pop up out of no where and she shook it off. She wasn't some playmate bimbo; he wouldn't just discard her like that. But then, she *wasn't* some bimbo... so what was his interest anyway? Chloe wondered.  
  
Lex watched as indecision played across Chloe's features. He couldn't understand how such a talented spit-fire of a girl, with a body that just wouldn't quit, could possibly be so insecure that she doubted the chemistry between them. He sighed. He was gentleman enough not to push the issue for the time being, but damned if he was going to let it go after a kiss like that! With every contact, every look, Lex grew more attached to her, and he was surprised to find that his attachment wasn't just physical, but emotional too. He had always liked her, but he found that his heart was starting to feel the pull, and he wasn't sure if that worried him or not.  
  
He jerked his head towards the study. "I guess we should get in there and shut her up huh?" He asked.  
  
Chloe tilted her head and listened. Abruptly, she realized why the butler had left so easily. Angie was making enough muffled noise to convince anyone that she was in the throes of passion.  
  
Chloe chuckled. "Well, well. Maybe we should give her a minute." She said.  
  
Lex laughed, then pushed the door open, and went in.  
  
Angie looked up when they walked in, but the hope in her eyes faded quickly. It was replaced by anger tinted with fear.  
  
Lex scooped the gun up off of the desktop where he had left it. He handled it easily, as a man who was comfortable with guns would. Chloe watched as he walked past Angie, and peered out the window behind her.  
  
"What's out there?" Chloe asked, settling herself on the desk, and kicking her legs against the drawers. Suddenly feeling the dread of the real situation they were in return, she asked, "They aren't out there, are they?"  
  
Lex shook his head before turning from the window. "No. I don't see anyone."  
  
He walked around Angie, watching her reactions, gauging her abilities to deal with the emotional strain of the situation. He leaned against the desk, next to Chloe. "I suppose we should reassure her that we're not going to kill her." He said quietly, and Chloe nodded. "Maybe you should do it." Lex went on. "You know, the good cop, bad cop routine."  
  
"And you, of course, are the bad cop." Chloe pointed out with a smile. Lex didn't bother to answer.  
  
Chloe hopped of the desk, and went and stood in front of Angie, who had stopped making noises, and was simply following their every move with her eyes.  
  
"Okay." Chloe began. "Here's the deal, we're going to stay here as long as we like, and you're not going to give us any trouble. We've already fielded an enquiry from, uh Charles I think it was?" She glanced at Lex.  
  
He nodded. "Yes Charles. Very helpful man, your butler." He agreed.  
  
Chloe continued. "So, don't expect any help from him. However, I will state very clearly, that you won't be harmed..."  
  
"Unless you don't co-operate." Lex interrupted. His voice was menacing again, specifically because he wanted to get a rise out of Chloe.  
  
"Shut up!" Chloe snapped, a slight smile playing on her lips. "You're not helping!"  
  
Lex shrugged, and moved back to the window to look out. Angie watched him until Chloe started speaking again.  
  
"You *won't* be harmed, unless you do something really, incredibly stupid, and I really wouldn't advise that." Chloe said. "So basically, just take a load off, and we'll untie you when we're finished here."  
  
Suddenly realizing that Chloe wasn't going to take the tape off her mouth for any reason, Angie began making a racket again. Her mouth was taped, but she was still able to raise a lot of noise, screaming and thrashing around, causing the chair to rock, and thump into the floor.  
  
Chloe grit her teeth. "Angie stop that!" Angie met her eyes and started screaming louder. "Angie, I told you not to do anything stupid..." Chloe didn't finish before Lex had whacked Angie upside the head with the butt of the gun.  
  
Angie's head slumped forward, and she stopped moving. Chloe looked up surprised.  
  
Lex looked grim. "They're home." He said simply, then noticing the Chloe was still looking at Angie, he said, "I didn't hit her that hard, and you *did* warn her." He pointed out.  
  
Chloe didn't comment that she had meant the warning as a threat and nothing more. Then Lex's words sunk in, and she found other things to worry about.  
  
"They? As in the kidnappers?" She asked.  
  
Lex nodded. "I can see a bit of their drive way from here." He explained.  
  
Chloe slowly moved to his side, not sure if she wanted to see or not. She was relieved when all she could see was the driveway. She couldn't see the mansion, or the car, or the men who were responsible for getting her into the mess she was in.  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"They just drove by." He explained. "I can't see them anymore."  
  
Chloe nodded. "So what now?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
Lex shrugged. "Nothing. They obviously gave up the search for some reason or another, but we'll have to wait to make our move until Adams arrives."  
  
Chloe nodded. "And then the dirtying of hands begins, huh?" She asked, forcing the feeling of nervousness down, and preparing herself to deal with what ever came next.  
  
"Yes." Lex agreed. "Then it all begins."  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to get the next one out soon, but I'm having a little bit of a writer's block issue so we'll see. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chloe woke the next morning feeling warm and surprisingly comfortable. She stretched and found herself held immobile. Still bleary from sleep, it took time for Chloe to remember where she was. The pillows were unfamiliar, and the walls weren't her bedroom walls. As her mind continued to wake up, she realized that she was unable to move because someone was holding her still.  
  
She rolled over, and found herself face to face with Lex Luthor. The shock of that woke her up completely, and the past events came roaring back.  
  
They had moved to Angie's bedroom, having badgered the information out of her when she came to. Lex had figured that it would look better for Angie to be in her room, in terms of convincing Charles that Angie didn't want to be disturbed.  
  
Chloe remembered kicking her shoes off, and crashing on Angie's bed. She didn't remember anything else, especially how Lex came to be sleeping beside her, with his face plastered into a pillow, and his arm thrown over her waist. She was sure if anything else had happened between them; she would have remembered.  
  
Her mind willed her to get out of bed before Lex woke up, but a small part of her wanted to take advantage of the situation, curling into the heat of Lex's body, and just go back to sleep.  
  
Her decision was pre-empted by Lex waking up. He opened his eyes, and smiled at her, not making any move to take his arm away.  
  
"Mmm. Good morning." He said sleepily, a small smile playing across his face. "Have good dreams?"  
  
Chloe felt a blush rising to her face. How could she have had anything but good dreams after a kiss like the one the night before? However, Lex's smirk seemed to indicate that he knew more about it then he should. She didn't talk in her sleep, *did* she? Chloe wondered.  
  
"Yes, I had a very nice sleep." She managed to say with credibility. "You?" As she asked the last, she moved away from Lex, sliding over to the edge of the kind sized bed.  
  
"Very good dreams." He commented, letting her go, and watching as she stood up. She stretched fully then, her back to him, unaware that the sight of her stretching was one hundred percent more alluring then just having his arm around her.  
  
She turned back to him. "Hey. What'd you do with Angie?" She asked, looking around the room and not seeing her.  
  
Lex smiled. "Bathroom. She was whining and making all sorts of noise last night. I couldn't sleep, so I locked her in there." He pointed to the closed door.  
  
"What are you going to do when the butler starts asking about her?" Chloe asked, sitting back down on the edge of the bed, and curling her legs under her.  
  
Lex shrugged. "I'll deal with that when the time comes." He pushed himself up onto his elbows. "You ready for today Chloe?" He asked, serious all of a sudden.  
  
She nodded slowly. "I had a good sleep, and that helped. And with Adams along, we won't get re-kidnapped, right?"  
  
Lex smiled. "We'd better not. That's why he's coming."  
  
Chloe nodded decisively. "Then I think I'm ready for anything."  
  
Lex nodded, taking her comments in, before getting out of bed and padding barefoot across the carpet to where Angie's phone rested on an end table.  
  
Chloe admired the way Lex moved. All contained energy and athletic grace, before snapping her attention back to the ordeal at hand. "Who're you calling?" She asked, as he punched numbers into the phone.  
  
Lex sat in the lazy boy beside the phone. "Adams. I want to know where he is, and when he'll be in Oregon."  
  
Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Chloe walked over and perched on the arm of the chair. Lex glanced up to where Chloe was looking down at him. He smiled, then leaned towards her, tilting the phone, so that if she put her ear against his, she could hear what was being said.  
  
Trying to ignore the proximity, Chloe leaned her head down in time to hear Adams answer his phone.  
  
"Adams." Was the curt answer.  
  
"This is Luthor. Where are you."  
  
"In a plane over Idaho. I'll be in Portland shortly."  
  
"When you land, I'll need you to rent a car, and drive it to Seyer Bay. It should be about two hours from Portland. Buy a map. We'll meet you in a Diner on main street at about noon, alright?"  
  
"Yeah. Noon, diner, Seyer Bay. Gotcha."  
  
"All right." Lex said, and then punched the disconnect button.  
  
"That's it? You just boss him around, and now we wait till he shows up?"  
  
Lex smiled, and then levered himself out of the chair. Chloe tipped her body, so she dropped into the spot he'd just vacated, her legs hanging over the arm of the chair.  
  
"Hmm, you're timing is a little off." Lex said with a smile, "You missed my lap."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well, it may surprise you that not every woman is as forward as psycho-woman over there." She said, motioning towards the bathroom where they had interred Angie.  
  
Lex nodded. "I'll make a mental note."  
  
"You do that. Oh! Can you get Angie out of the bathroom so I can use it?" She asked.  
  
Lex nodded.  
  
Angie was not a happy camper. Having spent the night bound and gagged, she had not slept and was not happy to see that Lex was still around. The second she realized who had opened the door, she began thrashing around on the bathroom floor, oblivious to the fact that her head was inches away from the toilet and she was going to brain herself.  
  
Lex grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her out of the bathroom. He took the remaining duct tape, and taped her to the leg of the bed, on the side opposite the door. Angie couldn't move, and if Charles walked in, he wouldn't immediately see that his employer was in trouble.  
  
Lex motioned gallantly towards the bathroom. Chloe smiled and walked in, shutting the door.  
  
~*~  
  
The morning dragged on. Chloe was beginning to get fidgety. She was ready to do something, anything but sit around in Angie's bedroom any longer. It was a stressful situation because she couldn't talk about the real situation without involving Angie more then necessary, and they couldn't leave her in case Charles inquired about her.  
  
Lex seemed to bear the burden of waiting well. He sat in the lazy boy by the phone, his ankle across his knee calmly watching Angie with the flat gaze of a predator contemplating potential prey. Chloe wasn't taking it so well. She was resisting the urge to pace, but couldn't stop bouncing her foot, or tapping her fingers. The nervous energy seemed to flow out of her.  
  
Then Lex rose abruptly, causing Chloe to jump since he hadn't moved for so long.  
  
"It's about twenty to twelve." He said simply. "Help me move her." He jerked his chin towards Angie.  
  
Between the two of them, with Lex carrying most of her weight, they moved Angie into her closet. There was nothing to tie her to, but Lex had the answer to that.  
  
As soon as Angie was settled, and before Chloe had a chance to react, Lex hit her again, harder then the last time. Angie's head slumped forward without anymore sound.  
  
Without a glance at Chloe for her reaction, Lex slid the closet door shut, grabbed her hand and left the bedroom.  
  
Charles was in the foyer when they descended down the stairs. He nodded once to them, and stepped aside for them to leave the house.  
  
"Oh, Charles was it?" He asked, just as he pushed the door open.  
  
Charles looked up and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, Angie said not to bother her. She and Tommy are a little busy, if you know what I mean!" Lex leered at Charles, before pulling Chloe outside.  
  
"Do you think that will be enough to stop her from being discovered?" Chloe asked when the front door was shut.  
  
Lex nodded. "If you knew that your employer was having sex, would you walk in on them?" He asked bluntly.  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Really, not."  
  
They walked up to Angie's BMW, that was still sitting out in front of the house. Lex opened the driver's side, and got in. Chloe flopped down in the passenger's side.  
  
"You gonna hot wire this?" She asked.  
  
Lex shook his head. "Nope, I noticed that she left the keys here when we first arrived." He dug the keys out of a cup holder full of junk. "See." He jammed them into the ignition, and pulled out of the driveway.  
  
They were half way to the gate, when a panicked looking man jumped in front of the car.  
  
Lex leaned out the window "What the hell are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?"  
  
"I can't let you steal this car!" The man said, dead serious.  
  
Lex rolled his eyes. "I'm not stealing it. Angie's busy and I need to go into town, see if my car fixed yet. You check with Charles, he'll set you straight. I'll bring it right back." Then while the man stood, rooted in indecision, Lex punched the gas, and burned out of the driveway.  
  
"Are we coming back?" Chloe asked, surprised.  
  
Lex nodded. "Yeah. This house is a perfect place to strike out from." Then they were on the road and headed towards Seyer Bay.  
  
TBC... 


	12. Chapter 12

Chloe felt more in control as she entered the restaurant this time around.  
  
She wasn't really being hunted so close, she'd had a really good sleep, and she knew that Lex had a gun. It made a difference in her outlook.  
  
The vacant waitress that they'd talked to the day before smiled when she saw them.  
  
"Ah guess ya didn't make yer airplane, huh?" She asked as she handed them both menus.  
  
"Not really." Lex said, smiling. "Tell me," He glanced at her name tag, "Lisa, can I get a decent cup of coffee?"  
  
"Sure ya can, hun." She said, beaming. "I'll get that right away." Then she turned and walked off, presumably to get the coffee.  
  
Chloe smiled. "You're really taking a liking to that waitress, aren't you Lex."  
  
He smiled. "Well, she was *so* helpful yesterday."  
  
They both had cups of coffee, and had just placed their orders, when Chloe noticed Lex looking over her shoulder at the door. She turned around to see who it was. Relief washed through when she didn't see the kidnappers. It must be Adams, she thought.  
  
Lex stood as the man approached, they shook hands without speaking, and Lex sat back down, beside Chloe. Adams sat across from them.  
  
The waitress came back, offering Adams coffee and a menu. He took the coffee and refused the menu, asking outright for eggs, toast and sausage.  
  
When she had left again, Lex spoke. "Chloe Sullivan, this is Greg Adams. Adams, Chloe." He said by way of introduction. "She's in on this till the end, so get used to working as a trio." Lex said simply.  
  
Adams nodded. "I have a car, it's out front. I've also got some things for you that your housekeeper saw fit to pack. This also." He placed an envelope on the table, and pushed it over to Lex.  
  
Lex opened it and smiled. He pulled his wallet out. "I'll have to remember to give the housekeeper a nice bonus." He said with a smile.  
  
Adams nodded. "We can talk later. Right now, I'm hungry."  
  
Lex and Adams ate in comfortable silence. Chloe wasn't sure what kind of silence she was eating in. When it had just been Lex, she had been able to handle it, but with Adams arrival she realized just how nieve she was when it came to this sort of retribution game.  
  
Adams wasn't like anyone she'd ever met before, barring Lex on certain occasions. He was quiet, but in an unsettling way. His movements were controlled, so that unless there was a reason, he didn't move at all. His speech was clipped and delivered quickly and in near mono-tone, and even his breathing seemed regulated. Chloe was sure he made a great enforcer, but as a human being, he was kind of eerie.  
  
When they were done eating, Lex paid for the meal with the remainder of the cash he'd taken with the Ferrari. Then Adams agreed to follow the Beemer in the rental car, and they made there way back to Angie's estate.  
  
There were no police cars, and no one made a fuss as they pulled back onto Angie's property. Not that that meant they were undiscovered, but it was still a good sign.  
  
The nervous man reappeared the second that Lex pulled the BMW to a stop. He waited, nearly dancing on the balls of his feet, for Lex to get out of the car, for he took the keys, and drove it off, to the garage presumably.  
  
Adams parked the rental, and got out. He stood observing the mansion, not moving.  
  
Chloe leaned over to Lex. "Hey, is he human? I've been thinking, and his movement reminds me of lizards. You know, immobile one second, and then zoom they move, and then, nothing!"  
  
Lex smiled. "Well, with Adams, it's the 'zoom' you want to look out for. Just be glad he's on our side!"  
  
Then he made his way up the steps to the front door, motioning for Adams to follow. Charles opened the door for them before they even knocked. Lex smiled.  
  
"Hey, this is Adams. He wanted to see Angie's place so we brought him along." He paused, allowing a form of awe to creep into his voice. "Is she still up there?" He asked quietly.  
  
Charles nodded. "Yes." He cleared his throat. "Shall I announce you?"  
  
"Nah, don't bother. I know the way." Then Lex pushed past him, Chloe and Adams trailing in his wake.  
  
Angie was still unconscious in the closet when they opened the door. Concerned Chloe felt for a pulse and found it. She glanced at Lex.  
  
"Are you sure that you didn't hit her too hard?" She asked.  
  
Lex nodded. "Well, she didn't wake up and rat us out, so I'd say I hit her just right."  
  
Adams nodded his approval, and Chloe kept her mouth shut. Instead, she walked over to the bed, and sat on the foot of it, watching to two men.  
  
"Talk." Adams said simply.  
  
"I believe that Winston is behind my kidnapping." Lex began without preamble. "I need more information, plus I owe these guys. I did promise them they would regret having apprehending me, and I never go back on my word. There are three of them. The leader is a big guy, dark hair, big build. The other two are slighter, though one is built. The slimmest one is the more violent of the two. There is a large brick wall surrounding the estate, with cameras on the outside, wire on the top. The place is a fortress, and we're going in."Adams nodded, not saying anything.  
  
Chloe had noticed that Adams had hauled a large plastic case in with him, which Charles hadn't questioned verbally. Merely raising an eyebrow when he saw it.  
  
Now, Adams flipped it open. Inside was an arsenal. Chloe had only seen that many different kinds of guns and weapons on TV, and certainly not the ones she was seeing.  
  
Adams loaded a clip into a pistol, and handed it to Lex, who turned and walked over to Chloe.  
  
"Are you one hundred percent sure you're in?" He asked her, one last time.  
  
Chloe observed Adams barely disapproving look. She leaned towards Lex and whispered, "I don't think he likes me."  
  
Lex shrugged it off. "Doesn't matter. Are you in?"  
  
With a last look at Adams, Chloe looked at Lex. "Yes." Lex nodded, then he took her hand, held it palm up and placed the gun into it. He closed her fingers around it.  
  
"Hang onto this. You might need it." He said. Then he turned and went back to Adams.  
  
Chloe stared at the weapon in her hand. She'd seen guns before. Clark and Pete had tried to convince he to go gopher hunting with them. She'd seen rifles and handguns stuck in police belts, but she'd never held a pistol, and she'd never seen one so small. It was like a baby gun, maybe four inches long, and Chloe actually found herself considering it 'cute'.  
  
She looked up. The guns that Lex and Adams were loading were a lot bigger. Somehow, it made her more comfortable. If they expected her to jump into the fray, they would have given her a bigger gun, right? She figured they just gave her the baby gun as a precaution.  
  
Adams looked up to see her still holding the gun in the palm of her hand. He tucked his gun into a shoulder holster and walked over to her. He took the gun out of her hand.  
  
"This is the safety." He said simply, showing her how to flip it on and off. "Can't fire if it's on. This is the trigger. This is the sight." He pointed to each thing as he said it. "This drops the clip." The clip slid out of the grip. He showed it to her. "This is full. You put it back in..." he shoved the clip into the gun. "And lock and load." He pulled on the top of the gun and chambered a round. "You understand?"  
  
Chloe managed not to take offence at his brusque manner. She took the gun back. "Flip the safety off, point and shoot till I run outta bullets, then come and find you." She managed a saucy smile. "Right?"  
  
She didn't get a rise out of Adams, but Lex smiled. "Here." He tossed her a spare clip. "Keep that with you too. You can use all those up too; before you try to find us."  
  
Chloe nodded, trying to decide where on her person, she was going to hide a gun and spare ammunition.  
  
Noting her dilemma, Lex pointed to Angie's closet. "Maybe you can find something in there with pockets." He said. Chloe nodded, and went to ransack Angie's clothes.  
  
Once Chloe disappeared into the walk-in closet, Adams turned to Lex.  
  
"Is she a good idea?"  
  
Lex looked at him. "I want her along. She's got more guts then you think, and I believe she'll actually help us crack this faster." He looked thoughtful. "Just try to tone the violence down if she's actually watching."  
  
Adams looked doubtful, but didn't say anything more. If the boss said the girl was coming, then he would just develop a new plan that included getting her out alive as well.  
  
In the bottom of the case, Lex found black, expensive slacks, a dark gray polo shirt, and his duster. He pulled them out, smiling.  
  
"Housekeeper." Adams said by way of explanation.  
  
Relieved to be able to dress as he was most comfortable, and figuring that his own clothes would make him more intimidating to the kidnappers; Lex was finally able to change out of the ratty jeans and sweatshirt he'd been wearing.  
  
He put a holster on underneath the duster, and straightened the collar before glancing in the mirror Angie had hung on the wall. He smiled coldly at his reflection. Showtime. He thought.  
  
Adams had strapped random weapon paraphernalia onto his person, and was standing immobile by the door, ready to go. Lex was himself again; the epitome of what everyone thought when they heard 'Luthor'. Well dressed, cold and dangerous.  
  
Chloe was still in the closet.  
  
"Chloe?" Lex finally called. "Are you coming?"  
  
"Yep. I was just getting into this super-cool assassin thing, and Angie's got some really cool clothes!" She stepped out of the closet. She'd found black spandex type jeans, and a black long sleeved knit shirt with a skull and cross bone on the front. She'd found a cool belt, and a black vest to complete the ensemble. She'd even rustled up a pair of combat looking boots; but she was still holding the gun in her hand.  
  
Lex smiled. She reminded him of Lara Croft, minus experience and attitude.  
  
"No clothes with pockets?" He asked her, motioning to the gun.  
  
Chloe shrugged. "Couldn't I just have a holster too?"  
  
Without a word, which would have been against the grain for him, Adams set the case down, flipped it open, and pulled a holster out. He handed it to Lex before shutting the case and standing up again.  
  
"You really look like you want to be in the thick of things Chloe." Lex observed as he fixed the holster to her belt, and fitted the gun into it. "Just let me and Adams go first, okay? Don't get carried away."  
  
"Aw, you care." Chloe quipped. "Let's just go, okay?"  
  
Lex nodded, and turned motioning for Adams to lead the way.  
  
They made it down the hallway and to the front door before they were stopped by anybody. Thankfully, it wasn't Charles.  
  
The maid looked surprised to see three such grim looking people in the hall. Lex held up a hand to stop her from raising the alarm.  
  
"We're guests of Angie's. Go talk to Charles." He said brusquely, before they walked outside into the sunlight.  
  
Chloe blinked, finding herself surprised by the daylight. The mood that Adams and Lex were projecting made her feel dark and sneaky. She was surprised to find the sun out, and birds chirping.  
  
Adams got into the driver side of the rental car, and Lex got into the back. Chloe looked at him, and he motioned for her to join him.  
  
Once they were settled, Adams started the car, pulling away from the house, Lex turned to Chloe.  
  
"Looks better to be chauffeured, if you're showing up unannounced." Lex said.  
  
"Ah something to remember for the next time I'm invading an insanely rich person's estate." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
Adams pulled out of Angie's driveway, had barely accelerated, before they reached the gate of the kidnappers estate. There was no guard at the gate, simply an intercom system, and the locked gate.  
  
Adams pressed the button. It buzzed, and a voice asked who it was.  
  
"Mr. Greg Adams, personal business." He said simply.  
  
"Uh, very well sir." The voice said. The gate slowly swung open, and Adams drove in.  
  
"Lousy security." Chloe commented.  
  
Lex shrugged. "When you think you're invincible, security seems like overkill."  
  
"Oh." They continued in silence up the driveway to the front of the mansion. Chloe glanced out the window. She didn't recognize it, and part of the knot in her stomach dissipated. She'd been afraid she'd recognize the house, and that it would bring everything back.  
  
Adams got out of the car, moving around to open the door for Lex. Lex offered his arm to Chloe, who followed. Lex was moving up the steps to the doors, as Adams shut the door, and followed a short distance behind.  
  
A butler opened the door as they approached.  
  
"Is he in?" Lex asked ambiguously, hoping that the butler would know who he was talking about.  
  
The butler nodded. "Shall I show you to the study?" He asked.  
  
Lex nodded curtly. "Thank you."  
  
With her hand on Lex's arm, Chloe stepped into the mansion, as the doors swung shut behind them, cutting off the bright sunlight.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: I'm not going to be able to update for a few days so I hope two chapters makes up for it! Review, cause I'm working through a massive writers block right now! 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Super sorry for the delay. I was having trouble uploading to FF. Hope this makes up for it. ~*~*~*~*~  
  
Putting on her game face, Chloe walked beside Lex following after the butler. Adams walked behind them, and Chloe could hear the quiet click of his heels as he walked.  
  
After some corners and some stairs, the butler stopped. He indicated a heavy wood door. Then he bowed. "Good evening gentlemen." He said, before turning and walking back the way he had come.  
  
They waited until the butler was out of sight around the corner. Then Adams upholstered his gun. He waited until Lex had pulled his gun out, before he kicked the door down, and rushed into the room. Lex following close behind.  
  
The leader of the kidnappers was sitting at a large desk, lighting a cigar when they broke into his office. He stared, rooted in shock, as he watched Lex was calmly into the room.  
  
He glanced at Adams, immediately recognizing that his most dire threat would come for there. He inched his chair away.  
  
"How did you get in here?" he asked quietly.  
  
Lex put his finger to his lips in a movement strangely menacing. "Shh." He said. "I'll ask the questions tonight."  
  
The leaders eyes bugged out even more when he noticed that girl walk into the room as well. She looked different. Less scared, more in control. He imagined her confidence came from being on the right side of the guns, but maybe not. Anger smoldered in her eyes, not fear or confusion.  
  
"Chloe, please close the door." Lex said quietly, without turning towards her.  
  
Chloe shut the door, pushing till it clicked quietly. She was beginning to get the vibe from Lex and Adams. No need to be noisy or violent when controlled movement was so much scarier. It was why Adams was so effective.  
  
"Now we can talk." Lex said. He nodded to Adams, who moved in on the ringleader. He took out a pair of silver handcuffs, and cuffed the man's hands behind his back, through the chair arms, holding him immobile.  
  
"Let's start with simple questions, shall we?" Lex asked, deliberately speaking in a genteel manner. "What is your name?"  
  
The man tried for bravado. "My men will be here soon, and we outnumber you!" He snapped.  
  
Adams backhanded the leader abruptly.  
  
"Wrong answer." Lex said. "And I will point out that we are evenly matched. You see, Ms. Sullivan is armed as well."  
  
Chloe dutifully pulled here gun from her hip, smiling sweetly. She positioned herself where she could see anyone coming through the door, before they could fully see her. "Mr. Luthor is right." She said, making her voice match Lex's tone. "You'd do well not to underestimate me."  
  
"Now, let's try again. What is your name?"  
  
The leader growled, and didn't answer. Lex nodded to Adams, who hit him again.  
  
Lex sighed. "Do we really have to do this the difficult way?" He asked rhetorically, like there might be another way. "I mean, violence in front of the lady is so undesirable."  
  
Chloe sighed. "Hey if it has to happen." She said simply, indicating she wasn't going to stop them  
  
Lex shrugged, still watching the kidnapper for reaction. "Well, there you are. Now that we have that little issue out of the way..." He trailed off, and Adams raised his hand to hit him again.  
  
"All right, all right." The man said finally. "Jeez, I never signed up to get the shit beat out of me, and I suppose that's what you're going to do anyway. My name is Paul Mackenzie. Most people call me Mac."  
  
Lex looked thoughtful. "Now, how am I supposed to know that's the truth?" He asked no one in particular.  
  
Adams shrugged, then raised his hand to backhand Mac.  
  
"It is the truth!" Mac said quickly, as the truth began to dawn on him. He had definitely crossed the wrong people, and he wasn't going to get off easy.  
  
"All right." Lex said, "I'll accept that for now, but if I find out that you lied, about *anything*, the consequences will leave you near death. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Mac nodded, not speaking.  
  
"Very well, once more for the record, your name is?"  
  
"Mac."  
  
"Fine. Who hired you Mac?" Lex asked.  
  
"What?" Mac stalled not sure how to proceed. He didn't want to die, but he was also worried about the very people Lex was asking about.  
  
Adams wasn't happy with his stall tactics. He grabbed him by the hair and tipped his head back. Then he pulled a knife from his thigh.  
  
Not sure what Adams was planning to do, Chloe looked away. She knew in some part of her that roughing the guy up was the only way to figure out their predicament, but she didn't want to watch the whole thing. She heard Mac cry out, a quick sharp sound. She turned back. There was a thin red line, beginning to ooze blood along his jaw line, below the ear. It didn't look deep, but Chloe could tell from the look on Mac's face that it hurt.  
  
"Now, no more stalling or this will only get worse." Lex said. "Who hired you?"  
  
"I don't know!" Mac gasped, and tried to shy away from Adams as he answered. "I'm just your run of the mill thug! I swear. I got a job offer, and half the money. If I took the money, I accepted the job, and I'd get the last half when I was done."  
  
Lex rolled his eyes. "You expect me to believe that shit? Cloak and dagger, no names..." He shook his head. "I don't think so." He paused, letting the silence deepen, waiting for Mac to fill it. Adams leaned menacingly closer.  
  
"All right, I don't know who hired me, but there was a guy, who brought the money. He might know!"  
  
Chloe shook her head, and spoke for the first time. "Oh please. Isn't that always the first thing to do when you're in shit like this?" She asked. "Blame it on someone else? Set the thugs onto some hapless uninvolved victim?"  
  
Lex pretended to look thoughtful. He glared at Mac. "She has a point."  
  
Mac shook his head. "You don't understand, it's for real. The deal was two hundred thousand before, two hundred thou after. I break into Luthor Manor, kidnap you, and haul you out here. They would let me know when to release you, but not a second before they said to. I don't know who gave the orders; I just carried them out. I'm a grunt, bottom of the food chain. I don't know anything about why they did this!"  
  
"Again, and this is the last time I'm gonna ask this, who is 'they'?" Lex demanded.  
  
"I don't know!" Mac was starting to get hysterical, and Lex was beginning to wonder if Mac wasn't telling the truth. Anyone who got hysterical this fast was definitely not leader material.  
  
"Give me a name then." Lex said finally. "Someone to go after?"  
  
"Stanley Carlton." Mac gasped out, relieved that they believed him.  
  
Lex sighed. Then nodded to Adams.  
  
Adams drew his gun out, and Mac visibly paled. The blood drained out of his face, and his eyes glazed over, like he was about to faint.  
  
"I thought you believed me!" He whispered.  
  
"I do." Lex said coldly. "But I can't very well leave witnesses lying around." As he finished speaking, Adams clubbed him at the base of his skull. Mac's head slipped forward, and he slumped in his chair.  
  
Chloe walked over to where Lex was perched against the desk.  
  
"You didn't kill him?" She asked, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.  
  
Lex shook his head; not explaining his motives any further. "This is you time to shine. Do your reporter thing. Toss this office, see what you can find out, about anything, but specifically Winston."  
  
"But he said Stanley Carlton." Chloe said, intrigued.  
  
"I know. Stan is one of Winston's rarely seen right hand men."  
  
Moving around behind the desk, Chloe shoved the chair aside, with Mac in it. She moved the mouse to wake the computer up, and was pleased to see it was already logged in. She wouldn't need a password.  
  
Adams brought the chair back, minus Mac, and Chloe didn't even bother to look around and see where he'd gotten to, she just settled down to checking the computer for information.  
  
Lex stood quietly off to the side of the door, alert for anyone walking in the halls. He watched Chloe out of the corner of his eye. She seemed at ease at the computer, typing away. He was glad that he had brought her, because he knew that Adams was useless with a computer, and while he might have discovered something, Chloe was guaranteed to turn something up. If there was dirt to be found, Lex was confident that Chloe would find it.  
  
"Lex." She said quietly. "I think I might have found something."  
  
He motioned for Adams to watch the door, and walked around behind the desk.  
  
"Show me." He said simply.  
  
"Well, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, but look." She clicked the mouse and a new window filled the screen. It seemed to be a record of dollar amounts, dated and increasing in value with each seceding date. Beside each dollar amount was a five-digit code.  
  
"So what is this?" Lex asked, not seeing why she thought it was important.  
  
"Well, normally I wouldn't have thought it was important, and if I'd seen it first, I wouldn't have noticed..." Chloe trailed off, and clicked. Another window filled the screen.  
  
Lex immediately noticed why Chloe had thought it was important. The window was a split screen, one half listed five digit police codes for contraband items, and the other half of the split screen was shipping records from Lexcorp... with a matching five-digit code beside each shipment.  
  
For a brief second Lex couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Chloe, bring up the other screen, so I can see everything." Lex instructed.  
  
Checking dates, shipments, codes and monetary amounts, there was nothing else to conclude but that Lexcorp was being used as a front to move illegal goods; judging by the codes, everything from guns and drugs to illegal immigrants.  
  
"How could someone do this without you knowing?" Chloe asked, as the information sank in. She paused. "You *didn't* know, right?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "I didn't know. But I imagine that Winston will have a good idea. I think it's time to pay him a visit." He turned to go. "Oh, Chloe why don't you make a copy of that, in case we need it."  
  
Chloe nodded, then copied the information onto a disk, and printed a copy to be on the safe side, before following Lex and Adams out into the hallway and back to the car.  
  
They left unmolested. The butler appeared after they left the office and showed them the way back to the front door. He nodded to them, before turning and going about his business.  
  
In keeping up appearances, Adams opened the door for Lex and Chloe before getting into the driver's seat, and pulling away from the mansion.  
  
Lex said nothing, but took the hardcopies Chloe had made, studying them.  
  
Adams pulled onto the highway, heading for Seyer Bay. Chloe sat up.  
  
"Where are we going now?" She asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure." Lex said. "Where ever Winston is. I'll use a pay phone in Seyer Bay." He explained.  
  
"What about Angie?" Chloe asked, feeling slightly guilty about taking the girl's clothes, leaving her tied up and unconscious in her closet and generally mentally scarring her for life.  
  
Lex smiled a little. "I'll send a hefty check. And he butler will find her eventually. When she wakes up she'll make enough noise to wake the dead, I'm sure."  
  
The rest of the ride to Seyer Bay was in silence. Adams didn't speak at all, and Lex was engrossed in the information he held in his hands. Chloe sat, staring out the window as Adams pulled into a gas station on the outskirts of Seyer Bay.  
  
Lex got out, pulling Chloe with him. He opened the phone booth, pushing her in.  
  
"This is the number you need to call." Lex said.  
  
Chloe twisted in the small space, so that she could look over he shoulder at him. "Why me?" She asked.  
  
"Much less likely that a female voice will be tied to me. Just say you're a school reporter looking for an interview. Be persistent, find out where he is now."  
  
Chloe nodded. "All right. You got any quarters?"  
  
Lex handed her a couple of dollars worth. She shoved them into the phone and dialed the number.  
  
"Hello, THW Enterprises. Can I help you?"  
  
"Yeah. My name is Candy Brown and I'm a high school reporter. I was hoping I could do an interview with Mr. Winston." Chloe said.  
  
"Well, you'll need to make an appointment. I'll connect you." The line clicked off before Chloe could interrupt.  
  
"Public Relations, THW Enterprises. I understand you'd like to make an appointment, Miss Brown?" A friendly voice said, when the line clicked back on.  
  
"Well, I'm kinda on a deadline. Could it be today or tomorrow?" Chloe asked.  
  
The PR person managed not to laugh. "Mr. Winston has a very busy schedule, and won't be available for several days, Miss Brown. Perhaps an appointment next week, to make a different edition of your school's paper?"  
  
"No. It needs to be this week. Where is he?" Chloe asked brazenly. "I can travel. That's no problem."  
  
"He is out of state Miss Brown..."  
  
Chloe interrupted, sensing she was nearing the end of the PR person's patience. "Wait, how far out of state?" She pushed. "I mean, I don't mind driving!"  
  
"Kansas!" The person snapped suddenly. "Look, kid, no offence but you're the bottom of the food chain. Mr. Winston has a lot more important people to talk to than a High School Reporter, so either you take the appointment next week, or wait a couple of months."  
  
"Where in Kansas?" Chloe continued, as if she was ignoring the person on the other line. "I have a friend there, maybe *they* could do the interview!"  
  
"It's a crappy little nowhere town called Smallville. I'm sure your friend is nowhere near there!" The PR person sounded angry and was obviously fed up. "Good day Miss Brown!" The line went dead.  
  
Chloe slowly hung the phone up and turned to face Lex, surprise evident on her face.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"Winston is in Smallville." Chloe said.  
  
Lex looked shocked. He glanced at the papers he held in his hand. "What is he doing in Smallville?" He asked no one in particular, before ushering Chloe back to the car, and instructing Adams to get them to an airport, posthaste.  
  
TBC... 


	14. Chapter 14

As the plane rose steadily into the air, Chloe watched as Lex flipped through the papers that they had stolen, trying to make sense of them. He seemed relaxed but she could sense the tension in his shoulders. Adams on her left seemed to be asleep. His eyes were closed, and he was barely breathing. She watched his chest to see if it was still rising, and had the urge to check for a pulse.  
  
Suddenly his eyes jerked open, and he pinned her with a gaze. He didn't say anything, just stared until she looked away. Then he closed his eyes again.  
  
Chloe leaned over to Lex. "Are you sure you don't want to trade seats?" She asked quietly. Lex smiled at her, but shook his head.  
  
"Finding anything helpful?" Chloe quizzed after a pause.  
  
Lex sighed. "It looks like this has been going on for awhile now. Started small, but it's getting larger." He indicated the printout with monetary amounts on it, where the sums were largest at the end. "Probably once they realized that I wasn't on to them, they started making bigger shipments."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Of everything." Lex grimaced. "If these police codes are right, and I believe they are, I've got hard core drugs, guns, illegal immigrants and I don't even want to think about what they were sold as, slaves most likely. In fact, there are a couple of shipments that look like they were stolen artifacts. It's all being shipped out of the plant, at my expense, I'm sure." He shook his head.  
  
Unconsciously, the droop of Lex's shoulders made Chloe straighten hers. "So what's the plan once we get to Smallville?" Chloe asked briskly.  
  
Lex nodded, barely smiling at her go-get-em attitude. "Hopefully, I'll call in some favors, and we'll get out there tonight. I'm not sure where Winston would be in Smallville, but the sooner we get there the better. Once Mac lets him know that I'm on my way, it's only a matter of time before he high tails it." He sighed. "I have the mother of all moles inside my plant, and I need to root it out. I don't want them disappearing for awhile, only to come back." Chloe noticed his fists tightening. "I want them out of my plant, permanently."  
  
Chloe nodded. "Well, I can tap some of my sources in Smallville, see if they know anything." She suggested.  
  
Lex shook his head. "I don't know how wise that is. Can you guarantee that they'll keep their mouths shut? I don't want to alert Winston or the mole before we know exactly what's going on."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No guarantees." She sighed. "What then?"  
  
"I think we'll have to infiltrate my own plant." Lex said with a smile. "We'll see what we can learn and go from there."  
  
"Industrial espionage, on your own plant? Interesting." Chloe said with a smile. "But you're going to let a reporter root through Lexcorp uninhibited?" Chloe asked, a little surprised. While she believed that Lex didn't have any part in *this* trafficking scheme, she had little doubt that some of Lex's own deals were less then one hundred percent legit.  
  
Smiling, Lex said, "I'll inhibit where I see necessary." Basically confirming what Chloe already knew. "Get some sleep Chloe. We're going to be up all night."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiling tipped her head over onto his shoulder, before closing her eyes. Lex watched as her breathing slowed and she slipped into sleep.  
  
A slight smile crossed Lex's lips as he looked at the blonde head against his shoulder. He couldn't remember the last time someone had done that. It was such a trusting act, using his shoulder as a pillow. He glanced over at Adams, whose eyes were closed.  
  
"Adams, we'll need a car once we're in Metropolis. Black, fast, and untraceable preferably." He said quietly.  
  
Adams gave a barely perceptible nod to indicate that he'd heard.  
  
Chloe woke as she felt the plane coming down. The stewardess walked by, smiling at some of the more nervous flyers. As she reached Chloe, she smiled again. "We'll be landing shortly. If you could please do up your seatbelt?" She asked, before moving on to the next row.  
  
Dutifully, Chloe buckled up, watching as the lights of Metropolis shone through the small plane windows.  
  
They disembarked without trouble, as they had no baggage to pick up. Walking through the terminal with Lex on one side and Adams on the other, Chloe felt surprisingly secure. She wasn't really scared of being recaptured, but as she watched people step out of the way to let them pass, she became aware of the internal power the two of them possessed.  
  
Granted anyone would get out of Adams way. He was down right scary. But people seemed to get out Lex's way out of deference. He just seemed to have this aura of power and respect, and people got out of his way. Chloe couldn't help but smile at the thought. And here she was, smack dab between the two of them. In fact, by the time they reached the curb outside, Chloe realized it was the fastest she had ever made it through the terminal.  
  
Adams flagged a cab down. He opened the door, getting in first and telling the driver the name of a hotel. Lex guided Chloe in, before getting in himself. Chloe glanced over at Adams who didn't spare her a glance, before squishing up against Lex as much as she dared. Adams may be Lex's enforcer, but he was creepy as hell and Chloe didn't like touching him.  
  
They drove through the streets of Metropolis in silence, no one wanting to let the cab driver in on the situation. They reached the hotel, and got out.  
  
While Adams paid for the cab, Chloe looked at the hotel, surprised. "We're staying here?" She asked Lex.  
  
He nodded. "What's wrong? Too cheap for you?" There was a hint of teasing in his voice.  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, just to cheap for *you*." She replied. It wasn't even a chain hotel. She a cheap, dingy hotel probably run by some pot- bellied old guy with a beer in his hand. She could understand that they needed to stay anonymous, but she hadn't really expected Lex would slum like this. She was learning new things about him all the time; namely Lex did what he had to, to get what he wanted.  
  
Chloe waited outside with Adams, while Lex went in to book a room. She caught he looking at her, and moved away. He had turned his entire body, and was staring, not blinking often enough, and gazing at her through hooded eyes.  
  
"What?" She finally demanded. He didn't say anything, but he did turn back to face the hotel office.  
  
Lex emerged with a key, and headed to the room. As soon as Lex unlocked the door and Chloe stepped inside, Adams nodded curtly to Lex, before turning and walking back the way they had come.  
  
"Where's he going?" Chloe asked.  
  
"To get a car." Lex explained. "Now that we're closer to Smallville, we don't really want our movement traced, so we aren't going to rent a car."  
  
"He isn't going to steal one, is he?" Chloe asked.  
  
Lex shook his head. "Not that he isn't capable of it, but like I said, we don't want our movement traced, and a stolen car can be a real problem with the police."  
  
Chloe looked nervous and cleared her throat, "About the police..." She said, trailing off.  
  
Lex heard the words, the doubt in her voice. "You didn't call them, did you?" He demanded.  
  
"No, no!" Chloe said, surprised by his vehemence. "I just wondered if you shouldn't tell them. Maybe they could help!"  
  
Lex smiled, but it wasn't the nicest sort of smile. "Do you really believe that they would believe that I had no knowledge of this going on in my own plant?" he asked Chloe.  
  
Chloe sighed and shook her head. "You stand to much to gain." She said. "No way would they believe that you didn't get a cut, I get it."  
  
Lex nodded. "So for the time being, I need as much information as I can. This is a game of information, and the person with the least amount loses." He explained simply.  
  
"How long are we going to stay here for?" Chloe asked, as Lex moved over to the only double bed and sat down, kicking off his shoes and leaning against the headboard.  
  
"As long as it takes Adams to get us a car."  
  
"About Adams. Are you sure he's, uh, loyal?" Chloe asked, moving so she was standing on the opposite side of the bed. "I mean, he's really creepy Lex."  
  
Lex nodded. "I know. That's why I first noticed him. But he's loyal. I've helped him out of some really tight spots, and in return he does the same. Just stay out of his way, stick close to me and you'll be fine." He said.  
  
"What did he do?" Chloe asked, he curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
"Do you *really* want to know?"  
  
Chloe thought about it, and shook her head. He was creepy enough in her imagination, no need to make it worse by knowing what it was that he was actually capable of.  
  
Lex picked up the paper and pen the hotel had left on the nightstand. He dug around in the drawer, until he found the ever present Gideon Bible that was always in hotels. Placing the Bible on his knee, he began writing.  
  
"Well, I'm going to watch TV." Chloe said after watching Lex in silence for a couple of minutes. He looked up and nodded.  
  
Chloe flopped onto her stomach on the bed, her feet only a few inches from Lex's hip. He had the urge to tickle her, but ignored it, and continued writing.  
  
Chloe channel surfed, until she found a Friends rerun, before settling down to watch it. Finally, Lex put the paper aside, and moved so that he was on his stomach, beside Chloe, facing the TV.  
  
"Good show?" He asked.  
  
"You've never seen Friends?" She asked, incredulous.  
  
He smiled. "I meant good episode? I don't think I've seen this one."  
  
"Oh." Chloe looked at him sheepishly, and found his face inches away from hers. His gaze heated her from the inside out, and she found herself painfully aware, that she was lying on a bed beside Lex Luthor. Albeit, they were watching TV and waiting for the return of the creepy hitman, but that didn't do anything to quiet her raging hormones.  
  
She turned back to the TV. "It's a pretty good one. It's the one when they all come back from England. You know they went to England, right?" She asked Lex. He nodded. "Okay, well when they were there, Monica and Chandler slept together. Did you know that?"  
  
Lex smiled and shook his head. "I watch occasionally. I'm not a huge fan." He explained.  
  
"Well, anyway, in this one, they are trying to keep it a secret, but Rachel and Phoebe catch them kissing, so Chandler kisses everybody so it looks like some foreign thing he picked up. It's really quite funny." Chloe said. He glanced over at Lex who was watching the TV. She realized that Lex had very nice lips. She hadn't really ever just *looked* at them before, but talking about all the kissing, made he think that Lex's lips were just perfect for kissing, which then made her think about Lex's kisses, which were just perfect.  
  
She jerked her head back to the TV. Bad Chloe, she thought, focus on their problem at hand, not how sexy Lex is, lying inches away from you, watching TV.  
  
Lex kept his eyes on the screen and he felt Chloe's gaze on him. She was could be so predictable at times, but he wondered what she would do if he turned and kissed her right then. He realized that due to their circumstances it wasn't the wisest course of action, but the television show wasn't helping. Watching the character kiss beautiful women, when one was lying right next to him was torture. However if Chloe could take it then so could he.  
  
Chloe made it to the end of the episode without staring at Lex, but she couldn't really remember having watched the show. Lex was too close. She could feel his body heat, and catch a hint of his smell, and her mind just couldn't focus on the TV.  
  
As the end credits rolled, she jumped off the bed, hoping she didn't look obvious. "Be right back." She said, and headed for the bathroom.  
  
She locked the door, and leaned against it. She was completely wired. The tension and adrenaline of the situation, coupled with an awareness of Lex made Chloe feel overheated and out of control.  
  
She stood in front of the mirror giving herself a mental pep talk. She had an amazing opportunity, she reminded herself. Yep, sure do. Her thoughts suggestively colored, as an image of Lex on the bed sprang to mind. *Not* that kind of opportunity, she reprimanded herself. An opportunity to go through Lexcorp books, to see the inner workings of the plant, to know what really goes on. Even if Lex didn't let her see half the material, there was still a wealth of information to be had. She nodded. This was about saving the plant. A lot more then just Lex's livelihood rested on figuring this out. If the plant was shut down, so many people would be out of jobs.  
  
Chloe mind suddenly leaped to her father. She hadn't really given him any thought throughout the whole ordeal, but she was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry. He must be worried out of his skull, she realized. There was no way he could know that she was safe and sound in Metropolis.  
  
All libidinous thoughts were erased from her mind as she emerged from the bathroom. Mostly she wanted to see her father again. It had only been days, she knew, but it felt like longer, and now the thought that the longer she was away the more her father would worry was spurring her on.  
  
Lex had changed the channel while she had been in the bathroom. He was leaning up against the headboard again, watching the news and didn't seem happy with what he saw. Chloe sat down on the foot of bed, as far from Lex as possible, and watched.  
  
The female anchor was in the middle of her spiel. "...and while the slight drop in Lexcorp stock may be attributed to the recent disappearance of the Luthor heir, the loss is not as great as many expected. Faith in Luthorcorp is one of the reasons that the stock has not plummeted, some expects suggest. While police comb the surrounding areas for the missing heir, Lionel Luthor had taken up the slack. Holding a press conference this afternoon, stating that his son's assailants would be brought to justice, as well as reiterating that Lexcorp will not be sold off, but will continue to operate as an independent company. And while Lexcorp stock drops, Luthorcorp stock continues to go up. Some would wonder whether the senior Luthor is not using this event to further his own gain. This is Cheryl Montburk, reporting from Smallville Kansas. Back to you, Robert."  
  
Chloe watched as Lex consciously relaxed his clenched fists. She didn't really know what to say. The reporter had been very close to the mark when she suggested that Lionel was using the situation to make himself look good. How were you supposed to comfort someone when their father used them to make money? Chloe didn't know what to say.  
  
Fortunately, conversation was preempted, by a knock on the door.  
  
"Yes?" Lex asked, loud enough to be heard through the door.  
  
"Go the car." Came the curt response, then the sound of footsteps receding. Adams really was a man of few words.  
  
Chloe wasn't sure whether she was glad he was back or not. However, they could get on the road now, and the sooner they solved this the better. It was being to get tense.  
  
Chloe had no idea how tense it would get before the end, but she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.  
  
Lex turned to TV off, grabbed the papers he had been writing on and walked to the door.  
  
"Ready to go?" he asked Chloe.  
  
She nodded, and they left the hotel room.  
  
Lex paid for the room in cash, that he had withdrawn in Oregon, before getting in the car. Chloe sat in the front seat, while Adams seemed to go into stasis in the back. His eyes closed, his breathing reptilian.  
  
Lex's face seemed shadowed, as he pulled the black sedan out onto the road, and pointed its nose towards Smallville.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: Still good? Everybody still with me on this one? Keep the feedback coming, it feeds the creative processes! :) 


	15. Chapter 15

Lex drove in silence, as the car quickly ate up the miles to Smallville as he pushed it to the limit. Chloe watched as the lines flashed by on the road, or as the headlight occasionally lit up a tree or a fence. They were moving fast.  
  
She leaned over, and glanced at the speedometer. Ninety miles an hour seemed extreme but the road was empty as the time got later and later; and Chloe rationalized that the sooner they got to Smallville, the better.  
  
"Lex?" Chloe asked into the silence.  
  
"Hmm?" He didn't answer, just sort of grunted. Chloe didn't say anything more. "What is it Chloe?" He finally voiced.  
  
"Nothing, just making sure you're awake over there. I would like to get to Smallville in one piece." She smiled in the darkness. She knew Lex drove this fast all the time, she just wasn't used to it.  
  
Catching on, Lex said, "I'm a good driver Chloe. And the sooner we get to Smallville the better."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You should sleep now, we've still got forty-five minutes." Lex said.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Chloe stirred when she felt the car slow down. The racing hum of the engine had lulled her to sleep, and as it slowed, she woke up.  
  
She sat up straighter, as she saw the edge of Smallville flash by. Lex was driving the speed limit now. Chloe watched to see if she saw anyone that she knew, although it was too late for anyone to be out. Smallville was like every other small town in the world. Everything closes up around nine, and stays that way till six. She suddenly realized that maybe she didn't hate the small town as much as she sometimes thought she did.  
  
She watched as they drove past the turn to go to her house, and felt a lump in her throat. She realized she must have made a sound, because Lex turned to look at her just then.  
  
"Do you want to drive by?" He asked gently. "You can't go in."  
  
Chloe shook her head. To be that close but not able to see her father, wasn't something she was sure she could handle. She swallowed. "No. That's okay. Let's just get this done instead."  
  
Lex nodded. The strangled sound in her throat when they had driven by the turn-off had suddenly made him aware that she wasn't as hardened as she wanted to make him, and maybe herself, believe. She wasn't used to this, Lex reminded himself. The duplicity and uncertainty, the treachery and dirty deals; Lex shook his head, wondering at his own thoughts. We he used to it? He thought. Was that what he was implying? Refusing to think about it any longer he accelerated and turned the car towards the plant.  
  
Chloe noticed the direction that Lex was taking them. "We're going in tonight?" Chloe asked, a little surprised. She'd thought she'd have a little more prep time.  
  
"Element of surprise." Lex said simply. "We have to assume that Mac is going to talk, and the sooner we get in there, the better. Wake Adams up."  
  
Chloe twisted in her seat, to look at the still figure in the backseat. Nervously, she reached out and tapped him on the knee. He didn't stir. She cleared her throat and tapped him again, a little harder. He still didn't move.  
  
She faced Lex. "I think he's dead." She said, trying to keep what was a hopeful tone out of her voice.  
  
Lex smiled. "Adams, show time." He said.  
  
Adams opened his eyes. Chloe narrowed hers. He had been awake all along, which meant that he had felt her tapping him. Creepy jerk. She thought.  
  
Lex pulled the car over to the side of the road, and yanked the parking brake on. Adams and Lex quickly got out of the car, and went around to the trunk. Chloe was a little slower.  
  
Inside the trunk was the silver case Chloe had seen in Angie's bedroom. Adams handed Chloe the gun and holster that she had worn when they questioned Mac. She remembered the brief lesson that Adams had given her, and ejected the clip to make sure it was loaded. Then she loaded it again and slid it into her holster.  
  
Lex smiled as she performed the act. She was a natural and a quick study, and he felt a momentary flash of guilt to realize he was the one that was exposing her to it. She was supposed to graduate, and go on to journalism without having been exposed to the likes of Adams. Without having to learn how to handle a gun and intimidate people. Although, he thought with a smirk, the skills could come in handy as an investigative reporter.  
  
Adams shut his case, and shoved it to the back of the trunk. While Lex wore a gun on his hip, Adams had several, plus some smoke grenades, and something else that Chloe didn't recognize. She waited, since neither man was getting back into the car.  
  
They seemed be staring each other down. Finally, Lex nodded. "Okay." He turned to Chloe. "This is the plan. Adams is an employee at the plant and so far is not under suspicion, so he's going to drive us in and use his key pass, since obviously using mine would create a problem."  
  
Chloe nodded. "That makes sense. But you don't think that the guard seeing you wouldn't be just as much of a dead give away?"  
  
Lex smiled, "He won't see us." He replied, as Adams took the keys.  
  
"What?" Chloe asked, realizing what Lex was suggesting.  
  
Lex motioned to the trunk and smiled. "Unless things have changed dramatically in three days I don't think they'll search the car."  
  
"In the trunk?" Chloe asked, realizing her voice was squeaking a little. She cleared her throat. "You know that's not very safe?" She asked. "I've read a lot about carbon monoxide poison..." She trailed off. Lex was smirking at her. His face seemed shadowed, lit only by reflected light from the headlights. The shadows seemed to make his face more dangerous, which made his smirk more aggravating somehow.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared!" Lex goaded.  
  
"I don't think so." Chloe said. "The last time you told me I was afraid, I ended up hypothermic!" She pointed out.  
  
Lex's smiled dropped a little. "We need to get into the plant, and this is the best way to do it. Don't *make* me man-handle you in there." He said quietly.  
  
The truth was that Chloe wasn't all that worried about CO2 poisoning. It was simply that the trunk wasn't that big, and she knew close proximity to Lex wasn't going to help her to focus on the situation at hand.  
  
Lex watched emotions flashed across her face as she thought. Sighed, because they didn't really have the time for her to make up her mind. He stepped towards her, intentionally making like he was going to grab her and throw her into the trunk.  
  
"All right, all right!" Chloe said, jumping away from his grasp. "I'm going."  
  
She walked around to the trunk, looking at its size dubiously, before stepping in and crouching down, settling herself on her side with her back to the outside. She glanced over her shoulder. There wasn't room for Lex. She scooted closer to the silver weapons case, hugging herself to it, to give Lex room.  
  
Lex followed, levering himself into the trunk behind Chloe. As soon as his head was down and he was comfortable on his side, Adams shut the trunk.  
  
The darkness wasn't as black as she had thought it would be. Some light from the taillights shone in. She could feel Lex against her back. His legs curling behind hers, so that if they were upright, she would have been sitting on his lap.  
  
"Comfortable?" he asked quietly.  
  
Chloe jumped at the quiet question, asked right by her ear. She nodded, her mouth dry. She swallowed. "You?" she managed.  
  
"Not quite." Lex answered, before draping an arm around her waist and pulling himself closer to her. "The latch was digging into my back." Lex said, as he heard her breathing speed up.  
  
"Oh. Better?" Her voice sounded breathy even to herself. Pull yourself together Chloe. She reprimanded silently. Lex just wants to solve this thing. Keep your mind on the game. Then unbidden, the image of Lex kissing her in the hallway of Angie's mansion floated through her mind's eyes. She shook her head, trying to dispel the warm feeling suffusing her body at Lex's proximity.  
  
"Much better." Lex said, even he could hear the smile in his voice. He knew Chloe was rattled by him and in a good way, and he liked her reactions to him. "We'll be there soon. Adams will drive around to the staff parking and park on the far side. Then he'll let us out, and we'll see about breaking into my own plant." He paused. "Got any ideas?" He asked.  
  
"Uh, not really?" Chloe breathed, as she felt Lex move his other arm, gently pulled her hair off her neck and behind her head.  
  
"Was tickling." He explained as his breath did to the same to Chloe's now exposed neck.  
  
She shuddered. And forced her mind to remember what Lex had asked. Did she have any breaking and entering ideas? Not really, she thought, then bent her mind to coming up with something so that she wasn't a completely useless member of the team.  
  
She felt the car slow, and heard the muffled sound of speech as Adams drove through the gate to the plant. She felt herself calming. This was it. Hopefully they would find out exactly what was going on, and Lex could fix the problem with the plant, and then Chloe could go home, to her Dad.  
  
The car came to a stop, and Chloe waited for Adams to open the trunk. The latch popped, and some light filtered in again. Chloe glanced over her shoulder, to see that Lex was still looking at her. His eyes were hooded and Chloe couldn't even begin to guess what he was thinking.  
  
Then he rolled away from her, and she realized that he'd had enough room. And there was no latch that could have been digging into his back. Smiling slightly to herself, she took Lex's offered hand, and got out of the trunk.  
  
They were parked on the far end of the lot, against the chain link fence, and as far from the floodlights at the doors as they could get.  
  
"So how are we going to get by the cameras?" Chloe asked finally. Watching as the one mounted by the entrance swiveled back and forth.  
  
Without speaking, Adams pulled an object off his belt, and twisted a few knobs. Then he handed the box to Lex.  
  
Lex hooked it to his own belt, grabbed Chloe's hand, and followed as Adams set off across the parking lot.  
  
"We're going in the front door?" Chloe asked skeptically.  
  
Lex nodded. "It's a jammer." He said, indicating the box on his belt. Stick close to me, and hopefully neither of us will get caught on film."  
  
"What about Adams?" Chloe asked. Not really caring about his fate, but wondering if he'd keep his mouth shut if he was caught.  
  
"He's supposed to be on night shift tonight anyway." Lex said as they walked. "That's part of the reason why we're doing this tonight. He has a reason to be here."  
  
Adams slid his key card into the lock, which beeped and turned green. The three of them slipped in, and the door clicked shut behind them.  
  
Adams went first, about five feet in front of Lex and Chloe, so that the cameras would record him, and everything would appear legitimate. Lex and Chloe followed; hoping the jammer was working, as the walked deeper into the plant. They came to an area Chloe had never seen before. Not that it was surprising, since she hadn't ever really seen much of the plant.  
  
At the end of the corridor was an elevator with a card-lock and no buttons. Adams slid his security card through, and they waited while the elevator rose to their level. The doors slid open silently.  
  
Lex pushed Chloe in ahead of him, and hit the button for the basement as soon as the doors closed. The elevator was smooth, descending so that Chloe didn't even feel the drop. Neither man spoke, so Chloe did likewise, not asking where they were going, and why they weren't going up, where Chloe knew her father's office was, and where is stood to reason, Lex's was as well.  
  
The doors slid open on a cavernous floor. She looked across to where she could see offices across from the elevator.  
  
They headed towards them. There were a few lights on, but they looked like they had simply been forgotten, as there didn't seem to be anybody down there.  
  
They reached the offices without being stopped, and Chloe followed as the walked to the door furthest from the elevator. The door was shut, and the lights were off.  
  
"So, how do you open a door that doesn't want to be opened?" Lex asked Chloe quietly. "And without setting the alarm off?"  
  
She looked at the door, and realized that it was simply locked by the doorknob. No deadbolt, and no card access.  
  
She sniffed and little, and pulled her lower lip into her mouth. "Well, I could try to pick it." She said quietly. "I've had a little luck at that, sometimes." She trailed off at the smile in Lex's eyes, and the disbelief in Adams.  
  
"Can you do it?" Lex asked. "For real?"  
  
"Well, I only tried it once. And it was to get into the Torch when I'd locked the door and forgot my key." She explained.  
  
"But you did it?"  
  
"Well, yeah. But I had bobby pins in my hair, y'know."  
  
Adams looked at her stoically, then pulled two pieces of slim metal out of a vest pocket and handed them to her.  
  
She realized that picking the lock had been the plan all along, but that they had intended for Adams to do it. Adams skeptical look was all the motivation she needed. Jerk.  
  
She took the bits of metal from him, and looked them over. They weren't bobby pins, but they'd probably work better. She knelt in front of the door, and began fiddling with it.  
  
Lex stood back, keeping an eye on the elevator, as Chloe knelt in front of the door, fiddling with the door. At one point, Adams took a step to take over. Lex stopped him, shaking his head. He knew that Adams would have had the door open quicker, but if Chloe could do it, then she'd feel much more in control, and he figured that it was important that she try.  
  
Then there was a quiet snick sound, and Chloe stood up smiling widely, before handing the tools back to Adams. She turned the knob, and pushed the door open slowly.  
  
Lex grabbed her hand and squeezed, before moving into the dark room. Adams and Lex both spread out, and Chloe saw where they were. It was archives of some sort. There were masses of filing cabinets. All arranged so that there were aisles in-between them.  
  
She walked over to see what Lex was looking at. Shipping Records. She nodded to herself, mentally tallying what all they needed to find in the room. They needed proof, and they needed to know who signed the orders for those shipments to go out. She sidled over to Adams, to see what he was looking through. Personnel. He gave her a dirty look and she moved away.  
  
She stood for a moment, trying to think. If she had been smuggling, and using a genuine corporation to do it, she wouldn't want it to be easily discovered, but easy enough to access, if she needed to. She began walking down the aisles, reading the labels on the outsides of the cabinets. Then one caught her eye. She had almost missed it.  
  
It read: Shipping Records; 1895. She had passed it because it was stuck in- between the shipping records for 1994 and 1996, so she was surprised she'd noticed at all. But her eye had caught the date and it had just taken her brain a little longer to realize what she'd seen.  
  
She walked back to the cabinet, to double check. Sure enough, it said *eighteen* ninety-five. The writing was clearly printed. It wasn't a written mistake. She pulled the drawers out, and began flipping through the papers. Most of the records were dated 1995. She had almost convinced herself that it was simply a neatly written typo, when she noticed a file stuck in the middle. She noticed because while most of the shipping records were yellow carbon copies of the original, these were not. She pulled the file out, and shut the drawer.  
  
She opened the file on top of the cabinet, and flipped through them. They were all legitimate shipping records, except that they contained the whole record. The original, with pink and yellow copies still stuck behind. Someone had kept a record, but it wasn't easily traced, since all the paper had stayed in one place.  
  
She skimmed a couple of the records. The information seemed correct, but some of the blanks were left empty. She didn't really know what that meant, since she didn't really know what she was looking at. Chloe's indecision was overridden when she noticed five digits strung together at the top of the margin. There was no line or field to be filled in, just the numbers. Her mind thought back to the police codes. She flipped through some of the other records; they all had the code on the top. Different codes but always five digits.  
  
"Lex!" She whispered hoarsely. Both Adams and Lex looked up, over to where she was. She motioned for Lex to get over there. Adams scowled at her, and turned back to the cabinet he was ransacking.  
  
Lex moved over to where she was.  
  
"Look." She pointed.  
  
It took Lex barely three seconds to recognize what she had found. Mentally congratulating himself on deciding to include an investigative reporter in the fiasco, he grabbed three of the records off the top and set them aside, before pulling a large folded-up envelope out of his inside jacket pocket. He stuffed the rest of the records into the envelope, sealed it shut, and labeled it to C. Sullivan, general delivery Metropolis. Then he stuck the empty folder back inside the cabinet. He smiled, and pulled Chloe along with him, as he headed over to where Adams was still rooting through drawers.  
  
As they passed by the only desk in the large room, Lex stuck the envelope in outgoing mail, underneath a couple of other letters. He winked at Chloe, and then moved over to Adams.  
  
"Hey, we're done. I've found, well actually Chloe found what we were looking for." Lex said quietly. He waved the records in front of Adams face.  
  
Slowly standing, Adams shut the drawer, and looked over the records that Lex held. He glanced at Chloe. "Good job." He said, and Chloe blinked, surprised. She wouldn't have thought that he would ever congratulate her.  
  
Adams sneered as he continued, "But don't you ever take a hint?"  
  
"What?" Chloe demanded, and then blanched as Adams pulled out his gun, waving it around in Chloe's general direction.  
  
Lex practically growled, and was moving for his gun, when Adams swung around in his direction. "Don't move Luthor, or I will shoot you."  
  
Chloe was astounded, not so much by the situation, although that did warrant shock, but by the fact that Adams had strung together eight words to form a sentence. "What are you doing?" She asked.  
  
Adams ignored her. "Give me those." Adams growled, and Lex reluctantly handed the shipping records over to Adams. "Now both of you, walk to the door, and don't try anything funny."  
  
Shock sent Chloe's system reeling, as she realized that she'd been trusting, well sort of trusting someone who wasn't even on their side. She swallowed, and then felt Lex's hand on her arm moving her forward, as Adams followed with the gun.  
  
She looked over her shoulder at Lex, who was right behind her. "What are we gonna do?" She asked as quietly as possible. Lex just shook his head.  
  
Then without warning, he flung Chloe aside, dropping to the ground, as he pulled his gun out and fired. Adams had been waiting for it, and managed to get off a shot. But not before Lex had.  
  
Lex's bullet hit Adams in the arm, sending Adam's shot wild. Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Adams ducked and ran for the elevator, dodging behind pillars and desks, anything to avoid Lex's bullets.  
  
Just as Adams reached the elevator, Lex ran out of bullets. He was about to run after Adams, when he noticed Chloe was still lying where he'd thrown her.  
  
Adams breathed a sigh of relief when the bullets stopped. He clutched his arm to his stomach. It had been a glancing blow, but it was bleeding and he needed it looked at. He should have remembered how good a shot Lex was, considering he himself had taught him. He slid his card through the elevator access, keeping an eye on Lex. He knew that Chloe still had a gun.  
  
The elevator arrived with a ding, and Adams stepped on quickly, smiling to himself when the doors slid shut. He looked at the papers in his hand. With luck, this was what his employer was looking for. And with luck, he'd be on his was to Mexico by noon the next day. He leaned against the wall sucking in breath as his arm throbbed, the elevator rising smoothly to the next level.  
  
Lex heard the elevator ding, and clenched his teeth. Adams was getting away, but Chloe seemed to be unconscious. He shouldn't have thrown her so hard, he thought, as he let Adams go, and moved over to where Chloe lay.  
  
Her open eyes surprised him, as he had assumed the she'd hit her head. Then he noticed the ever-growing puddle of red seeping out from underneath her.  
  
TBC... 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Glad people are still enjoying this. Sorry that it took so long to get this going again, but I finally killed the writer's block, for now anyway. :)

~*~*~*~

Panic overwhelmed Lex, as he dropped to her side. She smiled weakly.

"Why is it always me?" She whispered quietly. 

"Shh." Lex said. He looked her over. The blood seemed to be coming from her upper body. "Chloe where'd the bullet hit you?" He asked.

"My arm, I think." She managed.

He gently rolled her over, stopping when she hissed in pain. The bullet seemed to have gone in and out of the back of her upper arm. It was bleeding profusely. He swore under his breath. 

He pulled a knife out, and gently cut the arm off of her shirt, before using it to bind the wound. He was grateful that the bullet had exited. It meant that they could hopefully avoid a hospital, where by law they were required to report all gunshot injuries.

"Chloe we've got to get out of here. It won't be long until Adams alerts everyone to our presence." Lex said. 

Chloe nodded gamely, and tried to sit up, suppressing a gasp at the pain in her arms. "Are you sure that the bullet isn't still in there?" She asked.

Lex nodded, smiling as reassuringly as he could. Then he stooped, catching Chloe around the waist, and under her good arm, and gently pulled her to her feet. 

"You okay to walk?" Lex asked. "Not dizzy?"

"Dizzy?" Chloe looked at him strangely. "It hit my arm, not my head!"

"I meant from pain... when the shock wears off it's gonna hurt more. Tell me if you're going to pass out, okay?"

"It's gonna hurt worse then *this*?" She took a step, and breathed. If she moved slowly and carefully, and didn't jar her arm, she was okay. But unfortunately, the situation called for speed.

Following Lex, and doing her best to keep her hisses and whimpers to herself, they made their way across the floor to the elevator.

"How are you gonna get the elevator?" Chloe asked, eyeing the card access.

Lex pulled out his own security card. "It's not like they won't already know we're here!" He said, as he swiped the card. The little light blinked green, and Chloe breathed relief. At least the mole wasn't powerful enough to have Lex's clearance revoked. 

The elevator arrived, and Lex stood to one side, with Chloe behind him as the doors opened. They were empty. Not trusting that Adams still hadn't alerted security, but having no other choice, Lex moved onto the elevator with Chloe in tow. 

As soon as the doors shut, Lex inserted his access card into a slot on the wall. The elevator jerked to a halt, causing pain to rocket through Chloe's arm. She found herself feeling dizzy, to her dismay, and leaned against the wall.

"I'm not a damsel in distress, I'm *not* a damsel in distress..." She muttered to herself under her breath, until the pain subsided and she felt less woozy.

"What's that?" Lex asked, hearing her speak but not making out the words.

"Nothing. Why'd you stop the elevator?" Chloe asked.

Lex pushed an unlabeled black button at the bottom of the other buttons. The elevator began to descend. Chloe felt her stomach jump a little but otherwise she wouldn't have known they were moving.

"Down?" Chloe asked. "As in, underground with no chance of escape?"

Lex shook his head and smiled a secretive smile. "This plant doesn't have any floors lower then the one where we house the records, Chloe." He said. "Ask any of the inspectors that make the rounds."

Chloe looked hard at Lex. He had a look on his face similar to that one might see on a cat that just caught a canary. "Elevator must be stuck then." Chloe pointed out. "We've been in here for over thirty seconds. And it only took two for you to insert that card." Just then, the elevator dinged.

"This is one of those 'off the record' kind of things Chloe." Lex said, as the doors opened to reveal a long concrete tunnel. It looked like some sort of drain access tunnel.

Lex began walking, with Chloe doing her best to keep up. "Where are we?" She asked, and at his look added, "off the record!"

"This is the part of the plant that doesn't exist." He said, as they walked. "Well, actually two levels up doesn't exist. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what goes on there, but I can tell you that sometimes what goes on has the potential to warrant a quick unobtrusive exit, and that is where this tunnel comes in. It exits by a man hole in Smallville."

"We've got that far to walk?" Chloe asked, not quite hiding the moan that wanted to emerge.

"Yes. It was that or get shot at again. I guarantee that we wouldn't have made it out of the plant without altercation." Lex said.

"It's just that my arm is really, really hurting." Chloe said quietly. She realized what Lex had meant when he mentioned the shock wearing off. Her arm had been sore but sort of numb, and Chloe had secretly wondered if the bullet had hit a nerve. That was all going away. With every pump of blood from her heart, her arm throbbed to the point of agony. 

Lex stopped immediately. If she hadn't done such a good job of digging for dirt, he wouldn't have the answers, and she wouldn't be hurt. The least he could do was ease her pain as much as possible.

He helped Chloe sit down, with her back against the concrete wall. She leaned her head back, and shut her eyes, concentrating on not passing out. Taking off his jacket and tossing it on the ground, he pulled his shirt off.

Chloe managed an inward smile at the sight of Lex's bare chest, but couldn't muster more then that. He tipped her forward, using his shirt to fashion a sling for her arm, before pulling his coat back on. 

The pain abated slightly as soon as she rested her arm in the sling. The agonizing throb was still there, hurting with every beat of her heart, but at least she didn't have to support her own arm any more. Plus, the shirt still smelled like Lex and that in it self was comforting. 

"Can you keep going?" Lex asked, speaking like she had a choice between sitting and waiting for the bad guys and moving ahead.

She nodded, and offered her good arm up so that Lex could raise her to her feet. Chloe was beginning to see the downside to getting shot. Well, not that there was only one, but as the shock wore off, the pain got worse. To the point where she was moving at barely a walk because it hurt so badly.

Hours seemed to have passed, where Chloe was walking through an agonizing nightmare, when Lex gently stopped her forward plodding. 

"Wait here." He said simply, as he eased her onto the ground, with the wall to her back again. He reached down to her hip, and pulled the gun she still wore out of the holster. "Shoot anyone that isn't me, okay?" Lex said.  


Chloe managed to nod, before Lex turned, and climbed up the wall. It took Chloe a second to realize that they had reached the manhole exit, and that Lex was leaving her. She stifled a sob as her logical self told her wussy self that he'd be right back. She closed her eyes again, trying to drown out the pain.

Lex climbed out of the manhole, and quietly replaced the grate. He needed to find them a vehicle, and then they needed to get the hell out of dodge. He walked down the street, hoping that no one saw him. He was on the news, and he knew that people were looking for him, and he did not want to be found until he had everything under control.

He had worked his way over to main street, and was still no closer to a plan, when he saw a familiar red truck sitting outside the Talon. Clark had an unnerving ability to save the day, surely he'd be willing to 'loan' Lex his truck. Smiling to himself at his thinly veiled excuse for what he was about to do, Lex slipped a business card and a pen out of his coat pocket, he quickly wrote:

Sorry for the trouble

Needed a ride

Will return or replace

Thanks

L.L.

On a second thought, Lex underlined needed before he put the business card under the truck, and weighted it down with a rock. Lex glanced inside, and saw that Clark was suitably occupied watching Lana serve coffee before slipping into the unlocked vehicle and pulling the plastic off the steering column. After a few missed tried, Lex managed to hotwire the truck, and he pulled away from the curb, driving quickly to get back to Chloe.

***

Inside the Talon, Clark looked up suddenly as he heard his truck start. He jumped up, and ran out onto the street, just in time to see the bumper disappear around the corner. He glanced around to see if anyone was looking, preparing to super-speed after the truck. Three or four people were looking on in shock.

"Young man?" An elderly woman said, tapping Clark on the shoulder. "Was that your truck?"

Clark nodded mutely, trying to figure out how he was going to explain it to his father. 

"Well, you should be more careful." She said, obviously trying to help, and not succeeding. "That young man looked dangerous." She tsked and shook her head. "I remember when this town was..."

"You saw who did this?" Clark interrupted. 

The woman nodded. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry if I didn't get involved, but it looked gang related." She explained. "Shaving your head *is* a gang thing isn't it? And he wasn't wearing a shirt, scandalous, really!"

Clark was stopped by the head shaving comment. "Did you recognize him?" He asked.

"Well, now I might have." She shook her head again. "It would be doubly sad if it was a child I knew that had turned to a gang!"

Clark ignored her further ramblings. Could it have been Lex? He thought, but still being confounded by why Lex would steal a farm truck. Then a piece of paper caught his eye. It had been stuck under a rock, but was fluttering out from underneath when Clark noticed it. It slipped out, and flew off in the wind. 

Running down the street after the paper, Clark didn't give a thought to how silly he looked. He simply thought that the paper looked deliberate, and he needed to see it. He finally caught it, his eyes widening with the words.

"What has he got into now?" Clark couldn't help muttering.

***

Chloe raised the gun, holding as steady as possible with one hand. The manhole cover came off and Chloe felt her heart stop for a second, as she imagined Adams coming after her.

"It's me." She heard a familiar voice say, before lowering himself into the darkness.

Chloe sighed, dropping her gun hand to the ground, the gun clattering on the cement. 

He grabbed the gun off the ground, tucking it into his coat pocket before turning to Chloe.

"All right." Lex said. "I got us a ride. We're out of here." He carefully pulled Chloe up to her feet, noting that she wasn't even trying to hide the pain anymore. She hissed and whimpered as he got her standing. "You're going to have to hold onto the ladder with one hand." Lex instructed. "I'll be right behind you, holding you up so you won't fall."

Chloe nodded, reaching her good hand up to grasp a rung, before stepping up. She felt Lex wrap his arms around her, grasping the ladder, as he pulled himself flush against her. He felt warm, and Chloe relished it, feeling chilled from the shock and pain. 

She managed a mental laugh. Lex was like her personal hot water bottle. Every time she was freezing, he was right there being warm, or make that hot, she mentally corrected. 

"Okay, now lean against me, and reach for the next rung." Lex said into her ear.

Obeying, Chloe leaned all her weight against Lex, grasping the next wrung up and then taking a step.

The process was tedious and painful, but she finally made it to the top, Lex pushing her up til she could side on the street, her legs hanging down into the manhole. She swung her legs out of the way, so that Lex could climb up. 

Lex slipped the cover over the hole before looking at Chloe. She was white as a sheet. Without any further thought, he gingerly scooped her into his arms, and carried her over to the truck.

Chloe's eyes widened. "Clark knows were here? How come you get to see people and I don't?" She demanded, although the tone of voice was more petulant in reality. 

"I sort of borrowed it, actually." Lex said, as he settled her into the truck and shut the door.

Chloe waited until Lex got into the driver's side. "You *stole* Clark Kent's truck! Lex what were you thinking! Jonathan will have your head!"

Lex smirked a little as he fiddled with the wires, starting the truck again. "Well, I did leave a note. I'm hoping that Clark won't report it to the police, or at least that he'll convince Jonathan to hold off for a bit. I mean, he does like saving people, if you haven't noticed, and I did underline the word 'needed' in the note."

Chloe laughed, and then groaned at the pain it produced. "It will probably work." She gasped out, before giving in and passing out.

TBC...

A/N: Sorry this was a little shorter, but it just worked to end the chapter here, so I did.


	17. Chapter 17

The drive to Metropolis was blessedly uneventful. Lex breathed a sigh of relief as the city limit sign flashed by. Clark hadn't called the police, or if Jonathan had, they'd waited long enough that they were already in Metropolis.  
  
Chloe had woken up about half way back to the city. She sat as motionless as possible, just focusing on breathing through the pain. Lex wished that he had had the foresight to get some painkillers before they left Smallville. Chloe hissed as Lex hit a pothole, not paying attention to the road because of his thoughts.  
  
The first gad station that Lex saw on the way into Metropolis, he pulled over.  
  
"I'm gonna get you something for the pain Chloe." Lex said, before jumping out of the truck, and hurrying into the store.  
  
He came back with the strongest pain meds he could find. Chloe dry swallowed three, and then leaned her head against the seat, waiting for them to take effect.  
  
They continued their drive into the city's center, where Lex found a cheap hotel just off of the main drag and booked a room, paying in cash. He helped Chloe into the room, and laid her on the bed.  
  
She sighed in relief at not moving anymore. Lex pulled the curtains and flopped down on the other bed. Swiftly, both fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
***  
  
When Chloe woke, the first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her own bed, again. It wasn't all a bad dream. Then her arm began to pound, and she sighed, wishing that the gunshot wound, at least, had been a dream.  
  
She sat up a little, and looked the room over. Lex was no where to be seen, but he had left the bottle of pain killers on the bedside table beside her. She swallowed a few more, and lay down again, wondering where Lex had gone, but not having the energy to get up and find out.  
  
She must have managed to drift off to sleep, because she found herself opening her eyes again. She didn't remember closing them, but significant time must have passed, because the sunlight was no longer lighting up the room through the curtains.  
  
There was illumination coming from a lap by the other bed. Chloe rolled her head over, and saw that Lex was back. He saw her movement, and looked over.  
  
Smiling, he got up and come over to her. "Hey, need more pain meds?"  
  
She nodded. "That would be nice." She agreed.  
  
He went into the bathroom, to get her a glass of water and came back with a pack of ice as well.  
  
"This will help." He said, as he very carefully lifted her arm, before settling the ice underneath. She gasped at the pain, and then sighed, as the ice felt so good. He handed her more pills, and then helped her sit up so she could take them with water.  
  
She swallowed, and then drank the whole glass of water, finding herself very thirsty. Lex lay her back down again.  
  
"Are you okay?" He said. "You just need to rest, to heal. You should be fine." When Chloe nodded agreement, Lex went back to his bed and sat down.  
  
"Whatcha got there?" Chloe asked. She was very much awake, and until the painkillers kicked in, she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep.  
  
"The shipping records." Lex said.  
  
"What?" Chloe was surprised. She had seen Adams take them.  
  
"Remember the envelope?" Lex asked quietly.  
  
At his words, she did remember him putting the majority of the records into an envelope and setting to be mailed the next morning. "What day is it?" She asked, wondering how long it had taken the mail to get there.  
  
"About one o'clock in the morning, the day after." Lex said. "I just got back with this."  
  
"Finding out anything helpful?" Chloe asked, hoping that there was something there. After all, she had gotten shot for those particular papers.  
  
He nodded slowly. "I think so." He shook his head. "I just don't like what it adds up to."  
  
"Lex, I was wondering, how did you know about Adams?" She asked, thinking that he had put the records in the mail, before showing Adams what they had found.  
  
Lex smiled. "I've never completely trusted him, actually. I'm not sure if he's aware of it or not, but I've always operated under the possibility that he could turn on me."  
  
"Seems like a fairly risky venture then, asking him to help us figure this out."  
  
Lex shook his head. "Not really, there is only one person that I thought could turn Adams, and up to this point, I thought that it wasn't a problem."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, these records have made me realize who is likely to be the biggest threat and it isn't Winston. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see that before I called Adams. I realize now that I've been playing into his hands from the beginning." He sighed again.  
  
"Who?" Chloe asked.  
  
Lex just gave her a blank look, like he couldn't believe she couldn't figure it out on her own. "My father." Lex said his voice dead, before turning his attention back to the papers.  
  
Chloe lay in shock. She couldn't believe that Lex could be so impassive about that kind of betrayal. She swallowed.  
  
"Well, why is your father the only one that could have turned Adams?" She asked, hoping that maybe there was another answer. Her recent desire to see her own father was coloring her reaction to the situation.  
  
"Because my father was the one that helped Adams out the first few times. When I say that Adams is loyal to Luthor, I mean my father first and foremost. He helps me out, because I'm my fathers son."  
  
"Well, what about the records then. How can you be sure that your father is involved?" Chloe demanded.  
  
"Besides the fact that Adams was willing to shoot us over them?" Lex asked, giving her a look.  
  
Chloe shrugged with her good arm, giving him that. She saw the hurt flicker in his eyes, and realized he was more hurt by his father then even cared to admit to himself.  
  
"Mostly because of the dates." He said, picking up the records and moving over to Chloe's side so that he could show her what he was talking about.  
  
"These shipping dates indicate that this had been going on for a long time." He brandished a record. "This one is dated a year before he even sent me to the run the plant!" He shook his head. He pulled another record out of the stack. "And look at this one. After this shipment, everything changes. Do you recognize the date? That was two weeks after Lexcorp took the plant. It's just too much to be a coincidence. This is not the kind of thing my father wouldn't have a part of."  
  
"So you're saying your father is behind all this?" She demanded. "Like he *started* this?"  
  
Lex nodded. "It has his flavor. Sort of sneaky and underhanded, but almost a classy operation." He sighed and gritted his teeth. "And I haven't noticed until now!"  
  
Chloe reached out and put her hand on his. He seemed surprised and looked up at her.  
  
Chloe just lay on her back, holding Lex's hand, not really sure what to say, and figuring that silence was better then saying something stupid; but then a new thought flashed into her head, and she had to know.  
  
"Lex, what about the kidnapping?" She asked.  
  
Lex closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "Yeah. I know."  
  
"Lex, why would he kidnap you?" Chloe spoke slowly, more thinking out loud then anything. "I mean, no offence, but you hadn't figured it out, so why would he make you all suspicious now? Did he want you to know?"  
  
Lex looked at her sharply, new respect forming in his eyes. She was so smart, and he was clouding the issue with regret that he couldn't have a normal father. Chloe was right. Why kidnap him now? Why at all?  
  
Chloe watched as her comment set off a chain reaction in Lex's brain. She could practically see the wheels turning as he pondered options and possibilities. She smiled to herself when his thumb began absently stroking the top of her hand. He didn't seem to be aware he was doing it, he was so deep in thought. The feeling was comforting and lulling, and Chloe could feel herself drifting off to sleep.  
  
Damn pain killers! She thought, as her eyes drifted closed. The last thing she thought she felt was light pressure on her lips, like a kiss, but that could have just been her dreams sneaking up on her.  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: Sorry if this one reads a little disjointed. Sometimes my writing just doesn't flow as smoothly as I want it too! Glad people are still reading this! 


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I am the devil for making people wait this long, and this is a short chapter and I'm *really* sorry but tragically real life is getting in the way of writing! But I promise that I will get this finished!! I haven't disappeared!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Lex watched in frustration as Chloe drifted off into sleep. He needed her mind right now. He was feeling frustrated that he hadn't seen what his father was doing right under his nose, and burned out by the last few days. He wasn't used to this sort of on the run cloak-and-dagger stuff, no matter what people thought of him. And Chloe's last comment burned into his mind. Why had his father chosen to kidnap him? For what purpose, because there had to be one. Nothing Lionel Luthor did was ever without purpose.  
  
Lex could feel his brain dragging as he fought to find the answer. Chloe's slow breathing suddenly tickled his arm. He glanced down at her. She had tipped her head slightly in her sleep, and her face was against his arm. He smiled, feeling suddenly tender. No one ever made him feel that way, but Chloe touched something in him.  
  
Possibly, it was the way she used bravado and guts to get things done when he was beginning to see that she wasn't so tough on the inside. And the knowledge made him respect her more. That and want to protect her.  
  
Letting go of his control over his thoughts, he found himself thinking of Chloe instead of his father. He gently moved her over on the bed, sliding down to lie beside her; her breath on his face instead of his arm.  
  
Smiling, he reached over and stroked her cheek before brushing a loose stand of hair away behind her ear. She sighed and snuggled closer, only to stop when her arm hurt. She whimpered in her sleep.  
  
Lex stopped touching her; loathe to give up the contact but not wanting to hurt her anymore. He laid his head on a pillow beside her, and gave into the luxury of a deep sleep since the first time they had been kidnapped.  
  
Chloe woke groggy. Pain was in her arm, and it ached but it wasn't the shooting pain that she had been feeling the day before. Oh please let it be healing already! She thought. Then she was assailed with another sensation that she liked better.  
  
She was lying on her back, her good arm thrown over her head. She glanced down and what she saw confirmed what she felt. Lex was sleeping beside her on his stomach, snuggled up against her side, with his arm thrown over her waist. Reveling in the feel of his body against hers, Chloe moved a little so that her body was snug up against Lex's. When her movements encouraged his sleeping form to tighten his grip around her waist, Chloe smiled then shut her eyes, in case Lex woke up and saw how much she was enjoying this. She still wasn't sure what he felt about her, and wasn't about to push it.  
  
Lex woke to the feel of a soft body underneath him. Pulling tighter he realized that he recognize the form. Chloe. He smiled in his sleep. He heard her breathing sped up, but didn't let her go. He opened his eyes, and found hers closed.  
  
"Chloe." He said quietly, gently running his hand from her hip to the bottom of her breast and back down again. "I know you're awake. I can hear you breathing." He said.  
  
Without opening her eyes, Chloe retorted. "That means I'm alive, not awake!"  
  
"My mistake." Lex murmured, waiting for the first look in her eyes when they looked into his.  
  
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and found his lying flat on his stomach, looking up towards her face. His blue eyes were soft, observing her.  
  
Her breath caught in her throat. He looked almost feral, observing her with hungry intensity whose meaning Chloe didn't even pretend to misinterpret. His hand drifted down to her hip and up again, a casual caress that did nothing casual to her body. Chloe felt like a slow burning furnace was being stoked, and she wasn't sure she wanted to put it out, while at the same time feeling a little afraid. She didn't have volumes of experience, and she knew Lex did, and the way he was looking at her made her feel wanton and a little inexperienced as well.  
  
Lex knew the minute Chloe began feeling nervous. He saw the hunger in her eyes dampen, the color of her eyes clouding a little. He mentally shook himself, curbing his desire. What was he thinking? He demanded of himself. The girl just got shot, and fell asleep against you for comfort. Control yourself! He demanded. Then the feel of her hand against his brought his gaze back to hers.  
  
With her sore arm resting against Lex's arm; Chloe smiled a slightly sneaky, coy smile, as she ran her good hand across his face, over the top of his head, before grabbing his neck and pulling him forward.  
  
Not needing to be told twice, Lex pulled himself up until he was even with Chloe's mouth. He moved carefully, so as not to move her bad arm. Watching her eyes stir with desire, he lowered his mouth towards hers, watching as her eyes drifted closed before his did the same, as he brushed his lips against hers.  
  
Lex caught Chloe's hair in one hand, tilting her head back to allow his better access to her mouth. He teased her lips with his tongue until her lips parted. Their tongues slid together as he tightened his grip on her waist, pulling them even closer together.  
  
Chloe tried to supress a moan as Lex's tongue plundered her mouth. She was sure she was going to wake up at any minute, but darned if she wasn't going to enjoy him while she good, and he was such a good kisser. She moved her arms, up around his neck... or tried to. The agony that shot through her arm was enough to kill the mood. She whimpered.  
  
Lex pulled away as soon as Chloe moaned. It hadn't been a sexy moan, but one of pain. He tried to reign himself in. What was he thinking? Practically attacking her when she was injured. He pulled his arm away from her waist, and rolled off the bed.  
  
"Lex." Chloe said, as he headed for the shower. "I'm... well I'm sorry."  
  
He didn't turn around, figuring the sight of him aroused would make her even more flustered then she already was. "Don't worry Chloe. Take some more pain killers. I'm just going to take a shower."  
  
He walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He looked at himself in the mirror. "A cold shower." He told himself, a subtle dig at himself. "A cold shower."  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: Sorry again that this is so short, but I figured people would rather have a little bit then wait even longer till I'd written more... 


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: To all of you who have so faithfully waited, I will hopefully conclude this story this holiday season. In an explanation as to why this took to long, I moved away, and no longer have access to the Internet, so I'll try and get this done while I'm at my parents house for Christmas.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chloe lay on the bed, listening to the shower run, willing her breathing to return to normal. She knew that she was falling for him. He was so sweet yet so in control of himself. She knew he felt something for her, and she hoped that she could make that the same thing she was feeling. Love was a bit strong, she reasoned. It was something though. The sight of him made her breath catch and the feel of him robbed her of breath completely. His consideration for her made her heart flip flop and brought a smile to her lips, and his ability to deal with anything thrown his way made him seem so strong, like a provider... Chloe rolled her eyes at her own thoughts.  
  
"Yeah, right." She muttered. "I'm *not* falling in love." She snorted, and then moved towards the nightstand to grab the painkillers. She swallowed a couple, and then lay back down, willing herself to get better, so that she could pick up where they had left off.  
  
She heard the shower switch off, and schooled her expression, so that she didn't look mopey and love sick.  
  
Lex toweled off, and then stood in front of the mirror, hesitating to open the door and face Chloe, lying on the bed, waiting... he shook his head.  
  
"Mind out of the gutter." He told himself quietly. "Find a way to implicate Lionel, and then you can figure out what to do with Chloe." His mind drifted to all sorts of things he's like to do with Chloe.  
  
Sighing and giving his mind up for lost, it was in the gutter and was going to stay there, he pushed the door open and stepped out. Chloe was asleep again. He chuckled. Now he could look at her all he wanted.  
  
Pulling a chair up beside the bed, he slouched down, watching Chloe sleep as his mind began sifting through the things he knew, and how to use it against his father.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The next morning, Chloe slowly came around to Lex pacing the room. It wasn't an agitated pacing, but more movement to fuel his thoughts.  
  
"Well?" She asked. He looked like he was figuring things out, and she didn't want to be left out of the process.  
  
He turned and smiled a little to see her awake. "I'm just going through the facts at our disposal." He paused as if collecting his thoughts. Then moving to the bed he sat on the foot of it. "How are you feeling?" He asked solicitously.  
  
Chloe scowled. "I'm feeling fine. Don't change the subject. Why are you pacing? Do Luthor's *pace*?" She asked.  
  
He nodded. "When there is a need. Okay, we know that this involves my father, in some way or another."  
  
"We know this how?" Chloe asked. Her mind was still feeling foggy from the drugs and she was fighting to clear her head.  
  
Lex smiled patiently, and Chloe was struck again by how different he *was* then how he had always seemed to be. "We know that because Adams deserted me, and there is only one reason why he would do that. Secondly, Winston is involved, but I believe now, that he is only a pawn in my father's twisted game, whatever that may be. Whatever is happening, Winston is no longer in control. He's here in Smallville, not running his own empire and that tells us something. And lastly, this involves the plant in Smallville, evidenced by the files that you discovered.  
  
"And your conclusions are?" Chloe asked.  
  
Lex shook his head. "I'm not really sure. I was only running through the facts. I was waiting for my own personal journalist to put the spin on things." He stood up again, and moved for the door. "I'll get you some coffee Chloe. No more drugs for you. I need to find out what's going on, and I need you to help me do that."  
  
Chloe frowned. "Hotel coffee?" She practically whined.  
  
Lex smirked. "It'll have to do!" He turned, and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.  
  
Chloe sighed as soon as he shut the door, and carefully pushed herself to a sitting position. She gritted her teeth against the pain, and was happy to feel less pain then the day before. The day wasn't going to be a walk in the park if Lex wasn't going to let her have more painkillers, but she was determined to solve their problem.  
  
She snorted to herself. 'Their' problem. She was definitely falling for him, if she was willing to take on that much connection with a Luthor.  
  
She sat, mulling things over, trying to find the connecting thread. Using the plant as a front seemed silly and almost juvenile for Lionel Luthor. Why would he use the plant, since it was connected to him? In fact, before the employee buy-out, it had been his. And he hadn't stopped when Lex took the plant over. What could be so important, that Lionel would continue to control it, and risk exposure over it. And why Smallville? It wasn't exactly the central hub of criminal activity. Was that why? Under developed police force made it desirable...  
  
Her thoughts trailed off, as the door rattled, and Lex pushed it open, holding two cups of steaming coffee.  
  
"Figure it all out yet?" He asked. "Are you ready for your expose?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Nope, I need that coffee first." Lex handed her the coffee, and then perched in his chair by the bed.  
  
"Lex?" Chloe asked, after she'd consumed half her coffee. "One thing keeps throwing glitches into my thoughts. If you didn't have a clue, why didn't your father leave you at the plant to cover his butt in case his scheme, what ever it is, was uncovered."  
  
Lex nodded, looked at Chloe over the rim of his coffee. "That bothers me too."  
  
"So the question is, what do you know Lex?"  
  
He looked at her. Her tone was different from the one he was used to. She was turning into Chloe Sullivan, star reporter, and while he didn't like the distant, almost disbelieving look she was giving him, he did appreciate that she was helping his to figure this out.  
  
"What do *I* know?" He asked, a little surprised that she was turning on him.  
  
Chloe nodded. "Something changed. Lionel knew that you were close or that you'd take the next step and figure it out. Obviously, your father would have had safe guards in place so that you didn't figure it all out. But recently you've done something to trigger those safe guards. That's the only explanation that works. You were obviously close to something or he wouldn't have risked exposure to take you out of the equation!"  
  
Lex nodded. "So what, within a month, two weeks, and day?" he asked. "How close would he have let me get?"  
  
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. He's your father... you'd know better then me."  
  
Lex sighed. "I haven't really been doing anything out of the ordinary. Just trying to make the plant run as best as I can."  
  
Chloe gave him a blank stare. "No offence, but you are a Luthor. There's a standard to be upheld. You're telling me that you weren't bending any rules? That the entire plant is up to spec? That you have no shady deals under the rugs?"  
  
Lex gave Chloe her blank stare back. "Can't say that I would like you very much if you were dogging me for a story!"  
  
Chloe laughed. "What do you mean?" She asked in mock innocence. "I can't print everything we discover?"  
  
He didn't even dignify her question with a response. He sighed. "Okay. Officially off the record..."  
  
At those words, Chloe sat up a little straighter, and wished for a pen and notebook.  
  
"Not everything is completely up to spec." He admitted slowly. "Now your father is not aware of this, because quite frankly, he's an honest man and I think he'd consider what I was doing dishonest."  
  
"You don't." Chloe asked.  
  
Lex shrugged. "There's all kinds of honesty. Some are just more, uh, pure then others." He waved his hand in the air as if to dispel the thought. "We were trying to come up with a product that we could produce cheaper, but in the same quantity. Ultimately, I wanted to be able to sell it at higher cost, and make a bigger profit."  
  
"I follow." Chloe said. "Maybe not ethical, but not really dishonest."  
  
Lex nodded. "Exactly. In the end, almost by accident, one of my personal research and development guys found something that did the trick. In fact, it was like miracle grow, but at half the cost. I could produce it cheap. I simply added to our existing fertilizer, which almost doubled our quota and I could sell for three times the production costs. The only new cost to me was extraction. But the new cost was covered by the new sales."  
  
"Extraction?" Chloe asked. "Of what?"  
  
"The meteor rocks." Lex said simply. "It's spread all over the Smallville area. I just had to find enough rocks. But then I realized that it's in the soil. It's all over the place, so I just had to dig Smallville up, extract the rock and put the dirt back."  
  
"Weird." Chloe said. "And that's the only thing you're into right now?"  
  
Lex gave her an empty stare. "Yes."  
  
Chloe didn't push. She figured that whatever else he had going, probably didn't have to do with the plant, or that he just wasn't going to tell her, off the record or not.  
  
"Fine. Then that must be it." Chloe lost herself in thought as she pondered the ramifications. "In fact, it doesn't really surprise me." She said finally.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I have this wall in the school paper office. I call in the Wall of Weird. It's all this stuff that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. There's a lot of cases where you can see that the rocks had a direct influence on the weird stuff that's happened." She paused. "Maybe you shouldn't be spreading it around all over the States."  
  
Lex shrugged. "Well, what's done is done. What are you saying?" He asked. "That my father is infected with the meteor rocks?"  
  
Chloe shrugged. "No. All I'm saying is that they're weird and here we are smack dab in the middle of a weird situation, and I'm not surprised."  
  
"So maybe what?" Lex asked. "My father is looking to spread the rocks around and he doesn't want me doing it first?"  
  
Chloe straighten suddenly, and looked at Lex sharply. "What if he doesn't want them spread around at all! You said it was like miracle grow, what if it has other properties that your father has discovered?" Lex opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe plunged on. "No, listen! You were only investigating it for your specific purposes, what if your father wanted it for something else. Not only were you depleting his supply, but inevitably, your R and R guy would have figured it out too!"  
  
Lex was looking at her, but his gaze seemed to pass right by her, as his eyes unfocused as his thought followed Chloe's line of reasoning. Suddenly he stood up. "We've got to get moving. I think you might be onto something and we can't figure it out sitting here. Plus, we've been in the same place for too long!"  
  
He turned, and started gathering up the papers, and getting ready to clear out.  
  
Chloe wasn't sure of the reason for their departure, but something she had said, must have triggered the right thought, because Lex seemed purposeful again. Rather then pacing aimlessly, trying to figure things out.  
  
She scooted to the edge of the bed, wincing at the throb that started up in her arm. She gritted her teeth and stood up. It hurt, but she figured that if she moved slowly, and with deliberation, then she could minimize that pain. Maybe they could find some run-of-the-mill aspirin to take the edge off.  
  
Five minutes later, they were checked out, and cruising into Metropolis city center in Clark's truck.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: I'm not done. Just posting the chapter I had I was working on. 


	20. Chapter 20

They left the car in long term parking at the Metropolis Airport and took a cab into city center. Chloe had insisted on a disguise again, and Lex was dutifully wearing a toque and sunglasses that they had purchased at a convenience store on their way. 

Chloe watched people as they passed, making sure she didn't see any signs of recognition as they passed. She knew that Lionel wouldn't hesitate to take further steps to ensure his little scheme, so she knew they had to remain unseen until they had the proof to take Lionel on.

She looked up from her scrutiny of a passing pedestrian to see Lex pulling her into the public library.

"What are we doing here?" She asked, cringing when the librarian gave her a dirty look for the volume of her voice.

"Well, I haven't got any sources to tap with the police, and I don't want you to talk to any reporters, so this is the next best place to try and get some information on my father." Lex explained quietly, as he led her to the back, where the library kept all newspapers on microfiche.

Lex smiled. "If we can't talk to reporters, at least we can read their work. Look for anything connected to my father, THW enterprises, or the two together."

"THW?" Chloe asked, not having heard the name before.

Lex nodded. " That's Winston's company. Named for him. Torrence Hubert Winston, the third." Lex grinned. "Awful isn't it."

Chloe nodded. "That's really his name?"

Lex nodded, then turned the microfiche machine on and began scrolling through the most recent news reports.

Sitting down next to the machine, Chloe began flipped through actual newspapers, since they were the most recent.

Lex was getting up to get a new fiche, when Chloe reached over and grabbed his arm. 

"Look at this." She said, and handed him the business section of the paper.

Lex quickly skimmed the article. It was the day's paper, and the news was interesting. 

**__**

Million Dollar Merger

Luthorcorp today, announced a merger to THW Enterprises, in a move that will garner both companies millions. Torrence Winston, owner and chairman of THW Enterprises, announced earlier today that the merger would broaden the operations base of both companies. "Up to this point, we have been operating mainly on the Western Seaboard," Winston says. "This merger will allow both Luthorcorp and THW to more effectively market the whole of the United States."

Due to the merger, Winston will move his base of operations into Kansas, in a move he says will "shake things up" and provide new life to his company. Incidentally, the new main office of THW Enterprises will be the same facility formerly owned by Lex Luthor, under the business moniker, Lexcorp.

Lionel Luthor declined an interview, saying only that while the loss of his son and heir is tragic, it would be even more tragic to lose his business over a missed opportunity.

While no one can fault the business smarts of the merger, one can speculate on the nature of priorities, when one writes their son off after not much more then a week, and amalgamates the business with his own. 

There is no word on the new company name, nor when the new stock will be available for public sale.

Lex looked up from the story and practically growled. Chloe blinked and took a step backwards. 

"If my father thinks he's getting rid of me that easily, he has another thing coming." He muttered under his breath. He turned and looked at Chloe. "Do you still have that disk that you copied off of Mac's computer?" he asked.

Chloe nodded. "I kept it with me because I didn't trust Adams, no matter what you said." She pulled the disk out of her back pocket and handed it to Lex. "What are you going to do?" Chloe asked. "They're going to fire my father, Lex. They took your company."

Lex nodded. "And for some reason, they're going ahead with this while I'm still unaccounted for." He paused, trying to get into his father's head, to figure out what the game was. He skimmed through the news report again. It didn't say a lot. There was a merger, and Winston was being set up in the plant in Smallville.

Lex froze as his own thoughts coalesced. 'Set up in Smallville'. He looked at Chloe. "Aside from the obvious, why does this merger feel weird?" Lex asked her.

Chloe took the paper from him, and read it through again, trying to see what it was that had prompted Lex's question. She looked up when she was done. "I don't know what you're getting at." She said.

Lex nodded. "My father is merging with THW. And THW stands to gain enormous profit from this. That's what's strange to me. Luthorcorp doesn't stand to gain as much as THW. Luthorcorp has much wider influence then THW. My father already has interests in California. Why would he merge with THW?" He asked.

Chloe stared blankly at the paper, trying to figure it out. Then the light came on, and she looked up at Lex in shock. "He's stopping the whole thing! He needs someone to take the fall!"

"We've got to do something!" Chloe said. "We can alert the police! They can get Lionel investigated, before all the evidence is gone!"

Lex didn't look at her, but sighed and sank down on the arm of the chair she was sitting on. He began rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. 

Finally he shook his head. "We've got the shipping records from the plant, we've got the disk from Mac which we found in Winston's mansion, and we have my word that it was Winston that kidnapped me. My father covered his tracks too well on this one. It's not enough to implicate him."

"What if Winston was offered a deal?" Chloe suggested. "To help you take your father down. I'm sure that if he knew that he was going to lose his company and go to jail, he'd rat Lionel out."

Lex looked down at Chloe and smiled a weary smile, that seemed to make her aware of how nieve she was when it came to the hostile world of business. "Winston would be dead, before he even made his testimony." He explained.

"So we go to Smallville, and we badger a confession out of him, before your father knows what's going on."

Lex hesitated, and Chloe jumped out of her chair and glowered at him. "We can't give up Lex. I got *shot* over this thing dammit!" She sighed. "It's worth a try. You can't just let your father use you and me and Winston like pawns."

Lex nodded. He looked up and smiled. The look in his eyes was almost relieved. He reached out, caught her hand, and pulled her into him. Standing, she was a little taller then he was sitting. He reached up, hooked a hand around her neck and pulled her down towards him. He planted a kiss on her forehead and rose. Keeping his arm hooked around her shoulders.

"We'll try it." He smiled. "I don't think that I've ever had anyone in my corner, with a vested interest in me, just me." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head again. "It's nice. That's new for me."

"Nice is new?" Chloe pretended to ponder that for a second. "Yeah, I could see how that might be unfamiliar to a Luthor!"

"I just meant that not having to worry about ulterior motives in a first!"

Chloe looked up at him. "What about my exclusive?" She grinned to let him know she was joking. "I mean, what a story!" She patted his chest, and her face grew solemn. "I'm just kidding Lex. I really do care. I hate what you're father is, and what he's done to you. What he's still doing." She paused. "Let's get him!"

TBC...


	21. Chapter 21

They made their way back to the street, before the problem of inconspicuous transportation to Smallville dawned on them.

While they knew that keeping Clark's truck had been risky, the decision to ditch it at the airport now seemed premature. They turned and began walking aimlessly, simply trying to come up with a solution. Lex had limited funds, and a stolen vehicle was not likely to help their cause, should the situation ever get around to involving the police.

They had come no further to a solution, when the sun began to set, lighting the buildings of Metropolis with fiery light, before sinking low. The air turned chilly as darkness crept up, and the gloomy look of the city dampened Chloe's spirits.

As her resolve dropped, Chloe began to feel the pain in her arm more. While she had had something to think about, it had been easier to ignore, but now the cold was seeping in and chilling her muscles, and the situation was definitely made for breeding self-pity.

Lex had his arm around Chloe's shoulders, when she shivered hard enough for him to feel it. He moved his arm to her waist, and pulled her closer.

"We need to find somewhere to crash for the night." He said. "You're getting cold, and that won't help your arm at all!"

"I know." Chloe hugged close to Lex, savoring his body heat. Unbidden, she suddenly remembered the last time she'd been cold, and had needed Lex for warmth. It put perspective on how cold she was, now that she wasn't dying of hypothermia.

They were standing on a street corner that Chloe didn't recognize, when Lex pulled his arm away, and seemed to stand up straighter.

"What is it?" Chloe asked, looking around for Lex's cause for alarm.

He pointed to an office building, looming in the darkening street. "This is one of my father's subsidiaries." He said, then taking Chloe's hand they walked past the street that the building was on.

He led Chloe to the alley that would cut behind the building, and they moved down it. The night was darker in the alley, where the street's light couldn't reach.

Lex stopped at the rear of the building. There were two large metal garage doors, and a small access door to the right.

"My father 'stationed' me here, before I was exiled to Smallville." He said. "It was one of his many attempts to turn me into him." He moved over to the door, and Chloe noticed the small keypad of numbers, imbedded in the wall, by the door.

Lex stood staring at the keypad, before punching in a code. The light beeped red, and then went dark again. Lex tried two more codes to the same effect. On his fifth try, he turned back to Chloe and smiled widely when the access light beeped green.

"I thought that might be the case." He began to explain, as he opened the door, and pulled Chloe into the building with him. "The normal access codes have been changed. But the override that my father has wired into all his systems, so that he always has complete control, is the same. Thank goodness."

Chloe clung to Lex's hand, as they moved further into the room. It was pitch black, and it took so long for her eyes to adjust, that Chloe finally realized that they weren't going to adjust. There is nothing to adjust to when there is complete blackness all around you.

Suddenly, a blinding flash came on and Chloe gasped in fear of discovery... before she saw Lex's hand on the switches. She looked around the large garage that she found herself in. There were several large trucks, and two or three pickups, each emblazoned with company logo.

Lex left Chloe standing by the light panel. He keyed the override code in the button panel that locked the office door. It beeped Lex through, and he moved inside. All the ignition keys to the company vehicles were hanging in a little case on the wall. He grabbed the set that corresponded to a pickup truck, then left the office, making sure that it was locked behind him.

He moved over to the pickup, and unlocked the doors. He plugged the ignition is, and when the truck started, motioned for Chloe to turn the lights off, and get in the truck.

The darkness wasn't so complete, because Lex turned the headlights on, as soon as she turned the garage lights off.

Chloe buckled up, as Lex opened the massive metal doors, with the automatic opener on the visor of the truck. They drove through, and the door rolled shut behind them. Lex turned out of the alley onto the main street, and pointed the truck towards Smallville.

Chloe glanced around the truck. It was a lot nicer then Clarks. It was so new that it still smelled of new car.

"Lex, are you sure this won't get us into as much trouble as stealing a car?" she asked. "I mean, this is an awfully nice truck." She pointed out.

Lex shook his head. "At the very least, no one will notice it missing for a day and a half. It's Saturday night Chloe, in case you hadn't noticed. No one will be in to work on Sunday. So Monday morning is the earliest that anyone will miss the truck, and they won't assume it was stolen, because whoever took the truck knew the access codes. The System Log will show that."

"Oh." She said quietly. After a few minutes she unbuckled, lying her head down on the seat and curling her bad arm to her side, she fell asleep.

TBC...

A/N: Holy Cow. I'm impressed that people are still reading this since everyone probably thinks I'm dead and am never going to finish this. So here's the truth. I don't know how this ends…

I may have when I started writing it, but I've since forgotten. SO… if anyone has any ideas about a logical end… something relatively consistent with the plot line, I'd love to hear it. If I use your idea, I'll credit it to you, but unless something fires up the old muse this story ain't never getting' done… sorry. My email's in my Pen name profile.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Holy Cow. I'm impressed that people are still reading this since everyone probably thinks I'm dead and am never going to finish this. So here's the truth. I don't know how this ends…

I may have when I started writing it, but I've since forgotten. SO… if anyone has any ideas about a logical end… something relatively consistent with the plot line, I'd love to hear it. If I use your idea, I'll credit it to you, but unless something fires up the old muse this story ain't never getting' done… sorry. My email's in my Pen name profile.


End file.
